On April 12, 2026, Trump posted a lengthy attack on Pope Leo XIV on Truth Social, calling him “WEAK on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy.” Trump claimed, without basis, that Leo owed his papacy to Trump: “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.”
The attack came after Pope Leo — the first American-born pope, from Chicago — denounced Trump's threat to destroy Iranian civilization as “truly unacceptable” and criticized “the delusion of omnipotence.” The Pope had been calling for peace throughout the Iran war.
Pope Leo responded to NBC News: “I have no fear of the Trump administration.” He vowed to continue peace appeals rooted in the Gospel.
Hours after attacking the Pope, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ — creating a surreal sequence where the president attacked the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics and then depicted himself as their deity in the same social media session.