President Donald Trump launched a pointed attack on Pope Leo XIV on Sunday, questioning the pontiff's leadership on two of the administration's signature concerns.
Speaking to reporters and posting on social media, Trump criticized the first American to lead the Catholic Church, characterizing him as weak on crime and ineffectual in foreign policy matters.
"I don't think he's doing a very good job," Trump said, amplifying his disapproval across multiple platforms. The president used capital letters in his social media posts to emphasize his criticism of what he called the pope's soft approach to criminal justice and international relations.
The remarks represent an unusual escalation in Trump's willingness to publicly critique the pontiff, whose role as head of the Vatican typically places him beyond the reach of domestic political attacks. The timing underscores how Trump views traditional institutional boundaries as secondary to pressing policy debates.
Pope Leo XIV became the first U.S.-born leader of the Catholic Church in the institution's long history. His tenure has coincided with Trump's second administration, setting up a potential dynamic between the president's law-and-order messaging and the pope's historical positions on immigration and criminal justice reform.
The president has not detailed specific policy disagreements beyond his broad characterization of the pope as inadequate on crime and foreign policy matters. His comments suggest a broader frustration with how international figures are handling issues Trump considers essential to American security and prosperity.
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