President Donald Trump's recent comments about Pope Leo XIV have reignited tensions between the two leaders, just days before Secretary of State Marco Rubio is slated for a high-stakes visit to the Vatican.
The president once again hammered the Chicago-born pope for his outspoken condemnation of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, appearing on a conservative podcast, "The Hugh Hewitt Show," on Monday, May 4.
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"The Pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and I don’t think that’s very good," Trump said, after the host suggested the pontiff should talk about a pro-democracy activist and media mogul jailed by China.
"I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people," Trump continued. "But I guess if it’s up to the Pope, he thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon."
