Trump attacks Pope Leo as ‘weak on crime,’ claims credit for papacy

US President Donald Trump unleashed a sweeping verbal assault on Pope Leo XIV on Sunday, accusing the pontiff of being “weak on crime” and incompetent in foreign policy. Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed the Catholic Church elevated Leo primarily to manage relations with the Trump administration.

Preference for pope’s brother

“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote, accusing the pontiff of fearing his administration while ignoring religious persecution during COVID-19. Trump expressed preference for Leo’s brother, Louis, stating: “I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn't.” Trump also declared: “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela.”

Claiming credit for Leo’s papacy

Arguing that Leo’s elevation was directly tied to his own presidency, Trump said: “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. If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.” He urged Leo to “use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope.” Speaking to reporters, Trump said the pope is “a very liberal person” who doesn’t believe in stopping crime. The attack followed a CBS “60 Minutes” interview with three American cardinals close to Leo who criticized Trump’s Iran war policies. Trump also shared an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ.