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Were Donald Trump’s ears burning as the cardinals gathered in conclave at the Sistine Chapel? Is it inconceivable that the president’s name was uttered in hushed tones in some corner of the historic sanctuary, under Michelangelo's Adam, to sway a vote in favor of an American?
It’s of course a liberal fantasy to think that Pope Leo XIV was elected head of the ancient Catholic Church to handle the fleeting earthly man in the White House, but President Trump will nonetheless have to reckon with a fellow American, a leader on the world stage, who has spoken out against his policies and will likely continue to do so from perhaps the only bully pulpit to rival the Resolute Desk.
Trump has been nothing but enthusiastic about the new Pope — “What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country,” he said in reaction to the news — but that was before his allies unearthed Pope Leo’s criticisms of the president.
Before he was the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics, Pope Leo XIV was a moderate user of Twitter, which he used to deliver and share criticism of Trump’s America First agenda.
In April, he reposted a rebuke to Trump’s meeting in the Oval Office with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and an op-ed by auxiliary Catholic Bishop Evelio Menjivar of Washington, D.C., that was critical of Trump’s mass deportations.
“Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed?” the op-ed reads.
In February, he shared an opinion piece from the National Catholic Reporter, titled: “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
Vance, a practicing Catholic, now has the dubious honor of being scolded by two Popes, a rare feat that puts him in the company of the serpent from the Garden of Eden and Satan himself.
It’s a testament to Vance’s loyalty to Trump that he has not wavered from his path even after being chastised by the last two of God’s representatives on Earth.
Within hours of the white smoke emerging from the chapel, Trump loyalists had scoured Cardinal Prevost’s tweets and labeled the new Pope an “open borders globalist,” “a liberal piece of s***,” a “WOKE Never Trumper liberal” and a “MARXIST.”
There is a familiar path for how these things usually play out. If a prominent figure criticizes Trump, he comes back at them tenfold with a barrage of crude nicknames, late-night tweets and press conference diatribes.
But Trump can hardly hit the first American Pope like he would Democrats Chuck Schumer or Nancy Pelosi. Not even Trump, who insulted his way to the Oval Office, would attempt an alliterative nickname for the Pontiff.
It’s one thing to insult the leader of New York’s 9th Congressional district, it’s quite another to insult the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics.
When asked Friday by a reporter whether the president’s opinion on the Pope had changed in the 24 hours since the tweets had come to light, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was diplomatic.
"The President made his reaction to Pope Leo's announcement yesterday very clear. He is very proud to have an American Pope,” she said. “It's a great thing for the United States of America and for the world, and we are praying for him.”
How long can this detente last? The president is no shrinking violet, and the Pope has also indicated that he will not shy away from speaking his mind.
In October last year, before he was Pope, Cardinal Prevost told Vatican News that a “bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom, but rather called authentically to be humble, to be close to the people he serves, to walk with them and to suffer with them.”
The new Pope, an American who later became a dual citizen of Peru, will likely have much to say about the Trump administration’s mass deportations of immigrants without due process.
Should he continue to speak out against his policies, Trump may not be able to restrain himself from a late-night tweet storm and one of the most significant feuds of his two presidencies.
And poor JD Vance be forced to choose again between his political career and the eternal torment of hell.
