In a social media post over the weekend, Trump bemoaned that the Pope\u2019s criticism of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and claimed without evidence that his own presidency had enabled the Leo\u2019s accession to the papacy.<\/p>\n
And, speaking outside the White House on Monday afternoon, Trump repeated his criticism of Leo as \u201cweak,\u201d adding \u201cthere\u2019s nothing to apologize for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s aggressive rhetoric against the Pope presents a challenge for conservative, right-wing and far-right European leaders like Meloni, whose voter bases typically contain plenty of Christians. More than half of Italians identify as Catholic.<\/p>\n
While such leaders are have reason to stay on Trump\u2019s good side given his administration\u2019s support for anti-migrant parties, the President\u2019s fall from favor among his ideological allies in Europe<\/a> since the start of 2026 has been stark.<\/p>\n Trump did, however, row back on a post in which he depicted himself as a Christ-like figure healing a sick person with light as eagles, fighter jets and the American flag flew in the background. That image drew criticism even from many people supportive of the President\u2019s MAGA agenda, with some calling it \u201cblasphemy.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n