Trump's feud with Pope Leo XIV over Iran war, immigration, and religious imagery
Consensus Summary
The core story involves a public feud between US President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pope, over Trump’s Iran war policies, immigration crackdowns, and Trump’s repeated attacks on the pontiff’s moral authority. On April 13, 2026, Trump called Pope Leo 'weak on crime' and 'terrible for foreign policy' on Truth Social, claiming Leo was elected because of Trump’s influence. He also posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure healing the sick, which he later deleted after widespread backlash from conservative Christians and religious leaders. Pope Leo had previously condemned Trump’s threats to 'destroy Iranian civilization' and criticized the war’s moral justification, framing it as a 'delusion of omnipotence'. The pope also spoke out against Trump’s immigration policies, including mass deportations and ICE raids, which he argued contradicted Catholic teachings on human dignity. Trump’s feud has sparked divisions among Catholic voters, with some conservative bishops and evangelicals criticizing his attacks on the pope, while others remain loyal. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and US Catholic leaders, including Archbishop Paul Coakley, condemned Trump’s remarks as disrespectful. Meanwhile, Trump’s defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has framed the Iran war as a 'holy war', further escalating the religious and political tensions.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Donald Trump called Pope Leo XIV 'weak on crime' and 'terrible for foreign policy' on April 13, 2026, on Truth Social.
- Pope Leo XIV criticized Trump’s Iran war threats, including Trump’s statement 'a whole civilisation will die tonight' as 'truly unacceptable'.
- Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure healing the sick on April 13, 2026, which he later deleted.
- Pope Leo XIV is the first US-born pope, elected in May 2025.
- Trump claimed Pope Leo was elected because he was American and to 'deal with President Donald J. Trump'.
- Pope Leo XIV condemned the Iran war and Trump’s immigration policies, including mass deportations and ICE raids.
- Trump accused Pope Leo of 'catering to the Radical Left' and urged him to 'stop being a politician'.
- Trump’s AI image of himself as Jesus was widely criticized as blasphemous by conservative Christian leaders, including Riley Gaines and Doug Wilson.
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned Trump’s remarks toward Pope Leo as 'unacceptable'.
- Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to travel to Africa (Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, Equatorial Guinea) starting April 14, 2026.
- Trump’s defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, framed the Iran war as a 'holy war' and asked Americans to pray for victory 'in the name of Jesus Christ'.
- Three US cardinals (Robert McElroy, Blase Cupich, and others) criticized Trump’s Iran war and immigration policies on CBS’s 60 Minutes.
- Trump’s approval among Catholic voters has declined, with polls showing 48% support in March 2026.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Trump claimed Pope Leo was 'a shocking surprise' and that Leo should be 'thankful' for his election.
- Trump’s AI image included a nurse, soldier, Statue of Liberty, fighter jets, and dead servicemen turned into angels.
- Trump’s administration canceled a grant to a Catholic charity in Miami ministering to immigrant children.
- Trump initially praised Pope Leo’s election as an 'honor' in May 2025.
- Trump’s post about Pope Leo was made after Leo criticized Trump’s Venezuela raid and immigration policies.
- Trump’s AI image was deleted after backlash, and he claimed it was meant to depict him as a 'doctor'.
- Columnist Arwa Mahdawi compared Trump’s actions to the 'spirit of Antichrist' and noted his AI image was 'blasphemous'.
- JD Vance, Trump’s vice president, suggested the Vatican should 'stick to matters of morality' and avoid politics.
- Trump’s AI image was first posted by conservative commentator Nick Adams in February 2026.
- Trump’s AI image included a demonic figure in the background, which was altered from Adams’ original version.
- Trump compared Pope Leo to his 'brother Louis', who is 'all MAGA' and 'gets it'.
- Trump accused Pope Leo of being 'liberal' and 'not believing in stopping crime'.
- Trump’s AI image included a 'tradwife' and a farmer among the worshipful figures.
- Trump claimed the AI image was 'supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better' and referenced the Red Cross.
- Trump tipped a DoorDash delivery worker $100 at the White House while discussing the feud.
- Trump’s AI image was criticized by conservative evangelical leaders, including David Brody and Doug Wilson.
- Trump’s AI image was described as 'gross blasphemy' by conservative youth commentator Brilyn Hollyhand.
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- The Guardian and Newscomau state Trump’s AI image included a demonic figure, but Trump claimed it was a soldier in the original version.
- The Guardian and ABC report Trump’s AI image was deleted after backlash, but Trump claimed he never intended it to be blasphemous.
- The Guardian and Newscomau say Trump’s AI image was altered from an earlier version by Nick Adams, but Trump denied any intent to depict himself as Jesus.
- The Guardian and SMH report Trump’s AI image was widely condemned by conservative Christians, but some evangelicals like Sean Feucht initially defended it as a 'joke'.
- The Guardian and ABC report Trump’s approval among Catholics has declined, but SMH and The Age suggest evangelicals remain loyal despite the controversy.
Source Articles
Trump tells Pope to ‘get his act together’ – and exposes his own God complex
Minutes after ranting about Leo being “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy”, the US president posted an AI image of himself as Jesus Christ healing the sick.
How Trump turned on the first US-born Pope
US President Donald Trump described Pope Leo XIV's accession to the papacy as a meaningful moment for America. But now he has said the pontiff is hurting the Catholic Church, and is weak. Here's how their relationship has developed over the last year.
Trump’s feud with the Pope gets weird
First he unleashed a furious tirade against Pope Leo on social media. Then Donald Trump, seemingly still angry, decided to get a bit weirder.
Donald Trump calls Pope Leo 'weak' after pontiff's criticism of war and immigration policies
The United States president told reporters that he is "not a big fan" of Pope Leo XIV.
‘A pope who uses his brain’: Vatican locals and visitors take sides in Leo v Trump spat
While some US visitors back their president, shopkeepers who serve the papacy and tourists support the pontiff On the wall of the back room of an optician’s in Borgo Pio, a neighbourhood in Rome that borders the Vatican, hang the photos of five popes dating back to the late 1970s, charting both the recent history of Catholic church leaders and the shop itself. As its owner, Walter Colantini, who fitted glasses for one of the pontiffs, gestured towards them, he recalled the diplomatic strain betw
Trump may believe he is the messiah – but his attack on the pope could prove costly for JD Vance | Arwa Mahdawi
The president’s attack on the head of the Catholic church and the AI depiction of himself as a Christ-like figure have not gone down well with one of the largest groups of swing voters in the US Poor persecuted Donald Trump has frequently portrayed himself as a modern messiah . Some of his supporters, meanwhile, have compared him directly to Jesus . And, to be fair, while the son of God didn’t eat Big Macs on a private jet and encourage his followers to buy AI stocks, there are similarities betw
Trump tests his luck with the religious right amid feud with pope and AI Jesus posts
Trump appears to have crossed a line with his Christian supporters. Will it come back to bite him in the midterms? Donald Trump’s depiction of himself as Jesus Christ and recent spat with Pope Leo XIV could come back to bite him and the Republican party in the midterm elections, according to experts, with some newly aggrieved Christian groups set to play an outsized role in key races across the US. The president’s Trump-as-the-Messiah Truth Social post sparked immediate criticism among some Chri
Trump deletes post with AI image of himself as Christ-like figure after outcry
The US president’s conservative, Christian supporters decried the Truth Social post, calling it ‘disgusting’ Less than a year after signing legislation that will pull nearly 12 million Americans off health insurance by gutting Medicaid, Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself to Truth Social on Sunday depicting him as a Jesus Christ-like figure, with divine light emanating from his hands as he heals a stricken man in a hospital bed with a demon from hell floating in the background.
Donald Trump launches extraordinary attack on Pope Leo calling him ‘weak’ and ‘terrible’
In unprecedented attack on the leader of the Catholic church, president says the US-born pope is ‘not doing a very good job’ and is ‘a very liberal person’ President Donald Trump delivered an extraordinary broadside against Pope Leo XIV on Sunday night, saying he didn’t think the US-born leader of the Catholic church is “doing a very good job” and that “he’s a very liberal person,” while also suggesting the pontiff should “stop catering to the Radical Left.” Flying back to Washington from Florid
‘We’re Catholic first’: Sunday mass attendees weigh in on Trump’s feud with Pope Leo
Catholics around Atlanta share mixed feelings on faith and politics as Trump engages in rhetorical war with pope Alex Sullivan tended to his five children on the lawn after a traditional Latin mass at the Catholic Church of Saint Monica in Duluth, Georgia , and contemplated his faith in the light of God and the shadow of Donald Trump . Sullivan, a self-described conservative who once staffed a libertarian state representative at the Georgia capitol, described his faith as almost medieval. Contin
Behold, another second coming. But this one is Donald Trump – WAY BETTER than that Jesus guy | Marina Hyde
The Middle East on fire, a spat with the pope – and he posts himself as Potus Almighty. Will his disciples now see that their messiah has feet of clay? You hear such a lot from Maga Republicans about how liberals think Trump voters are stupid. But not nearly enough about the far more salient point: that Donald Trump thinks Trump voters are stupid. Naturally, nobody deplores his own people as passionately as a populist, but even by those exacting historical standards Trump really does regard his
Trump deletes post of himself as Jesus, claims it showed him ‘as a doctor’
The president accused the media of deliberately misconstruing the “blasphemous” meme while he accepted a lunchtime delivery of McDonald’s at the Oval Office.
Trump testing the true believers with his antics amid flagging polls
The US president’s verbal assault on Pope Leo XIV, followed by the release of a now-deleted post portraying himself as a Christ-like saviour, has riled the American religious right.
Trump news at a glance: president posts AI image comparing himself to Jesus after picking a fight with the pope
Trump’s now-deleted post sparked the wrath of some of his loyal conservative Christian followers – key US politics stories from Monday 13 April at a glance Donald Trump managed to pull off a bit of a miracle on Sunday: he offended and upset many of his conservative Christian followers. Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself to Truth Social on Sunday depicting him as a Jesus Christ-like figure, with divine light emanating from his hands as he heals a stricken man in a hospital bed with a d
Trump cannot bear the judgments of Pope Leo | Sidney Blumenthal
The political gap between US evangelicals and Catholics is widening. And Trump won’t tolerate authority outside his own “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?” Henry II was reputed to have muttered. His knights heard his pointed remark as an order. They rode to confront Thomas Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury, who spoke too freely and critically about the king. When they failed to intimidate him into silence, they murdered him. Absolute rule demanded absolute fealty. The representative
Trump criticises Pope Leo, extending feud over Iran war
Writing on social media after the pope called for peace, US President Donald Trump says the first American pope is "terrible for foreign policy" and he should "stop catering to the Radical Left".
‘It’s kind of a tough situation’: US Catholics torn in feud between president and the pope
Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo XIV polarizing the diverse community as faith and politics come to a head Maryellen Lewicki meets once a week for Bible study with a group of Catholic women in Decatur, Georgia, in a space they try to keep clear of politics. But Donald Trump’s name arises nonetheless. “We have one person that we pray for during the course of the week,” she said. “What my friend said is that she prays for the president every day, that God will remove that hard heart of his and replace
Trump deletes post of himself as Jesus, claims it showed him ‘as a doctor’
The president accused the media of deliberately misconstruing the “blasphemous” meme while he accepted a lunchtime delivery of McDonald’s at the Oval Office.
Trump tells Pope to ‘get his act together’ – and exposes his own God complex
Minutes after ranting about Leo being “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy”, the US president posted an AI image of himself as Jesus Christ healing the sick.
Pope Leo slams 'tyrants' as Trump says the pontiff must understand 'nasty world'
US President Donald Trump says it's important for Pope Leo to understand Iran is a global threat, having called him "weak" on foreign policy.
The AI images Trump can’t get enough of
Who wouldn’t want to be a king, a footballer, a friend of lions, a maestro and Jesus? This was originally published in This Week in Trumpland. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday In Donald Trump ’s telling, the image showed him as a medical professional, never mind the lack of training. “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better,” Trump said, responding to the outrage after he posted an AI-generated photo which critics – including some on the right – say showed him
Trump's 'AI Jesus' post sparks backlash as pope responds to attack
Donald Trump is criticised by religious sections of his supporter base after publishing, then deleting, the image, but the US president says: "I thought it was me as a doctor."
'Gross blasphemy': After Pope Leo feud, Trump posts AI image of himself looking like Jesus
US President Donald Trump deleted a social media image apparently depicting him as Jesus after an outcry from religious leaders.
Trump’s wild excuse for ‘Jesus’ image
You may have thought Donald Trump’s feud with Pope Leo couldn’t get any weirder. But get a load of his explanation for this AI image.
Trump testing the true believers with his antics amid flagging polls
The US president’s verbal assault on Pope Leo XIV, followed by the release of a now-deleted post portraying himself as a Christ-like saviour, has riled the American religious right.
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