Trump unleashes tirade against "weak," "terrible" Pope Leo

President https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_self">Trump lashed out against Pope Leo XIV on Sunday night, calling him "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy."

The big picture: The president's comments escalate https://www.axios.com/2026/04/11/pope-leo-xiv-trump-catholic-iran-war" target="_blank">already high tensions between the president and the first U.S.-born pope, who has spoken out on Trump administration immigration policies and the Iran war.

Zoom in: In a lengthy Truth Social https://truthsocial.com/%40realDonaldTrump/posts/116394704213456431" target="_blank">post, Trump criticized the pope on matters including the Catholic church's stance during the COVID pandemic.

• "I don't want a Pope who thinks it's terrible that America attacked Venezuela," Trump wrote in an apparent reference to Leo's January expression of https://www.axios.com/2026/01/05/pope-leo-us-venezuela-maduro-trump" target="_blank">concern for Venezuelans following https://www.axios.com/2026/01/03/trump-says-us-captured-venezuelan-president-nicolas-maduro" target="_self">the U.S. raid and ensuing capture of leader Nicolás Maduro in the South American country.
• Trump also said he likes the pope's "brother Louis much better" than him because he claimed he "is all MAGA."

Go deeper: https://www.axios.com/2026/04/11/pope-leo-xiv-trump-catholic-iran-war" target="_blank">Iran war tips Trump-Pope tension over the edge