Trump attacks Pope Leo XIV on Truth Social, calling him 'weak' and falsely claiming credit for his papacy

President Trump posted a hostile message on Truth Social attacking Pope Leo XIV, calling him 'WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy' and accusing him of 'catering to the Radical Left.' Trump falsely claimed that Leo was only elected pope because the Vatican thought it would help them deal with Trump, stating Leo 'wasn't on any list to be Pope' and was only elevated due to being American. Trump also falsely suggested the Pope believes Iran should have nuclear weapons. The attack came after Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pope, criticized Trump administration policies on immigration and the Iran war. In a separate but related incident on the same day, Trump posted and then deleted an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus, drawing widespread condemnation from Catholics and religious leaders.

“WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy. He wasn't on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.” — From Trump's Truth Social post attacking Pope Leo XIV after the Pope criticized Trump administration policies