Trump: "If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican"
The U.S. president lashed out at Pope Leo, calling on the pontiff to stop pandering to the radical left.
On April 13, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized Pope Leo XIV, calling him weak. In a post on Truth Social, the American leader said the pontiff owed his election solely to the political situation in Washington.
“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,” Donald Trump wrote.
The president stressed that the pontiff’s election came as a “shocking surprise,” since "he wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American."
In Trump's view, the Catholic Church placed an American at its head solely in order to interact more effectively with his administration.
“If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” the U.S. leader declared.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that Pope Leo had called on world leaders to pursue peace.