Trump Launches Scathing Attack on Pope Leo XIV, Shares Bizarre AI-Generated Image
Former United States President Donald Trump has unleashed a fierce verbal assault on Pope Leo XIV, vehemently criticizing the pontiff's stance on international affairs and domestic security matters. In a late-night social media post that has since gone viral, Trump described the Pope as "WEAK" on crime and "terrible" on foreign policy, particularly regarding the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Escalating Tensions Between Trump and Vatican Leadership
This extraordinary public rebuke comes just days after Pope Leo XIV publicly condemned Trump's recent warning about Iran, in which the former president declared that "an entire civilisation will die tonight." The Pope characterized such rhetoric as "unacceptable" and suggested that a "delusion of omnipotence" was fueling the escalating tensions between the United States and Iran.
In his lengthy Truth Social post, Trump made his position unequivocally clear: "I do not want a Pope who criticises the President of the United States." He further accused Catholic Church leadership of having "arrested priests, ministers, and everybody else" during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, though he provided no evidence to support this claim.
Trump Claims Influence Over Papal Selection
The former president made the astonishing assertion that his own political presence directly influenced the Catholic Church's decision-making process regarding papal succession. Trump suggested that Pope Leo XIV, who assumed the papacy in May 2025, was selected specifically because of his American nationality, with Church leaders believing this would facilitate better relations with the Trump administration.
"Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise," Trump wrote. "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."
Trump concluded this portion of his remarks with a bold declaration: "If I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican."
Bizarre AI-Generated Image Adds to Controversy
Following his criticism of the Pope, Trump escalated the controversy by sharing an artificial intelligence-generated image that depicted him dressed as Jesus Christ healing the sick. The digitally created visual showed Trump in biblical attire surrounded by symbolic American imagery including eagles, fighter jets, and the Statue of Liberty.
This unusual post appeared to be a direct response to mounting criticism over his earlier remarks about the Pope. Trump concluded his social media tirade with advice for the pontiff: "Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician."
The incident represents a significant escalation in tensions between the former U.S. president and Vatican leadership, raising questions about the boundaries of political and religious discourse in an increasingly polarized global landscape.
