Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV are in an unexpected feud after the pope criticized Trump’s stance on Iran.
Recently, Trump took to Truth Social and posted an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ, as reported by The Mirror. In the photo, he is seen healing someone while many people, including war veterans and nurses, surround him.
I’m not sure it has broken through to the general public that the president is a megalomaniac crazy person. Hopefully posts like this help. pic.twitter.com/7diVJG0hyo
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 13, 2026
Marjorie Taylor Greene condemned this act and wrote on X, “On Orthodox Easter, President Trump attacked the Pope because the Pope is rightly against Trump’s war in Iran and then he posted this picture of himself as if he is replacing Jesus. This comes after last week’s post of his evil tirade on Easter and then threatening to kill an entire civilization.”
Democratic commentator Harry Sisson also wrote, “Trump is now posting AI images of himself as Jesus Christ healing, what appears to be, a young Jeffrey Epstein.”
Another commented, “That is some blasphemous…”
Previously, Trump also attacked the pope in a lengthy Truth Social post, calling Pope Leo “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.”
He further added, “I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t! I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”
This could have been a reaction to the Pope’s comments during a peace vigil at St. Peter’s Basilica, as pointed out by the Guardian.
At the vigil, Pope Leo XIV said a prayer for peace is “a bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive.” He did not mention the conflict with Iran directly, nor did he name any nation.
He had also stated that Trump’s threat to annihilate Iranian civilization on Easter Sunday was “truly unacceptable.”
When asked at Joint Base Andrews why he attacked the pope, Trump echoed his social media post.
As reported by the Daily Beast, Trump commented, “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime I guess… We don’t like a pope who’s going to say it’s ok to have a nuclear weapon. We don’t want a pope that says crime is ok in our cities. I am not a fan of Pope Leo.”
Trump further added, “He’s a very liberal person, and he’s a man who doesn’t believe in stopping crime.”
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, criticized Trump’s attack.
Reporter: Why did you attack Pope Leo?
Trump: I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime I guess. We don’t like a pope who says it’s ok to have a nuclear weapon. We don’t want a pope that says crime is ok. I am not a fan of Pope Leo. pic.twitter.com/cj3oh1jSIL
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 13, 2026
He said, “I am disheartened that the President chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father. Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls.”
Pope Leo also used X to reveal his views on conflict: “God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.”
