When Trump and the Pope Go Head-to-Head - 4/20/26

John Thune does not scintillate. He does not attract the enmity of his predecessor, Mitch McConnell, but he rarely inspires either. He does his job without flash or sizzle. He does his best to avoid controversy.

So when Donald Trump picked a fight with Pope Leo last week, the deeply religious Thune was as arid as the driest grasslands of his home state of South Dakota. Vice President J.D. Vance tried to protect Trump’s overreach, saying, “I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”

When asked about Vance’s comments, Thune offered scathing criticism in the guise of a mild question: “Isn’t that his job?”

Republicans at all levels may have to be equally careful for the time being as the president and the pontiff continue to square off in a remarkable rhetorical combat not seen since Napoleon imprisoned Pope Pius VII for nearly five years early in the 19th century. Trump is unlikely to take similarly aggressive steps, but he has unleashed his trademark combativeness on Leo, describing the Holy Father as “terrible for foreign policy” and “weak on crime.”

Trump’s criticism was prompted by Leo’s response to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s call for the American people to pray for victory in Iran “in the name of Jesus Christ.”  Without mentioning Hegseth by name, the pope said in his Sunday homily that Jesus “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war but rejects them.”

Leo’s pushback prompted three influential American cardinals to criticize the Iran conflict as “not a just war” during an appearance on Sixty Minutes. Trump then unloaded, and while Leo has asserted that he has “no interest in debating Trump,” this disclaimer came after he had issued the following statement against unnamed transgressors:

“Blessed are the peacemakers. The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters.”

He then added, “Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic, and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.”
“Handful of tyrants?” “Darkness and filth?” Oof. Leo is the first American pontiff, but he also clearly learned some lessons on Chicago-style political jousting during his childhood in the Windy City.

At this point, Trump realized that this was not a battle he needed. He heard rare disapproval from Catholic Republicans in Congress and from religious leaders who have been some of his strongest supporters. By last Friday, the White House announced that he had recorded the reading of a verse from the Old Testament to be released this week as part of a celebration of the Bible.

From the time Trump first sought the presidency, he has assiduously cultivated support from religious conservatives, attracting massive backing from evangelical and fundamentalist voters and winning the Catholic vote in two of his three campaigns. (Devout churchgoer Joe Biden fought him to a tie with Catholics in the 2020 race).

Skeptics questioned how religious voters could support a candidate whose personal behavior reflected conduct that they found unacceptable. But Trump’s actions in office, most notably the appointment of three pro-life Supreme Court justices and dozens of other less visible but equally important executive orders and administrative actions supporting socially conservative policy as well, offset his personal transgressions for many deeply religious Americans.

But even before the Iran War, many Catholics were uncomfortable with the administration's ultra-aggressive immigration agenda. A recent poll showed that 52% of Catholic voters, who represent approximately one-fifth of the electorate, now disapprove of Trump’s performance in office. If Republicans are going to maintain their narrow majorities in Congress this November, they will need the support of many of those observant voters.

Until now, Trump has been able to convince religious voters that their political support for him was consistent with the tenets of their faith. But a bruising fight with the leader of the Catholic Church makes it much more difficult for them to reconcile these two priorities. Trump has unintentionally forced them into a choice between him and a pope. That is a fight that even he recognizes that he cannot win. So he will need to find a way to back away with as little damage as possible. Such a retreat could let Thune and other Republicans off the hook and preserve what appears to be their diminishing chances to regain congressional majorities this fall.