'Weak on crime': Donald Trump slams Pope Leo XIV over 'enough of war' remark
US President Donald Trump slammed Pope Leo XIV after the Catholic leader appealed for peace amid the war in the Middle East.
The 70-year-old, the first American pontiff, publicly implored leaders on Saturday to end the violence, telling worshippers at St Peter's Basilica: "Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!"
Following the speech, Trump said he was unimpressed with the leader of the Catholic Church.
"I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo. He's a very liberal person, and he's a man that doesn't believe in stopping crime," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
Trump also accused the pontiff of "toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon."
Criticizing the pope further on his Truth Social account, Trump said, "I don't want a Pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon."
"Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy," he said.
The president added that Leo had only been elected "because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump."
"If I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican."
