Trump kept the confrontation with Pope Leon XIV at the center of a fast-moving White House exchange on Monday, telling reporters in a hurried question-and-answer session that he would not apologize after he publicly criticized the pope for his stance against the U.S. war with Iran. The comments came as the conflict stretched into its seventh week and as Leon XIV argued that his interventions were aimed at promoting peace rather than picking a fight with the U.S. leader.
Trump, asked about his remarks toward the U.S.-born head of the Catholic Church, said Leon XIV was against what he was doing about Iran and argued that the pope would not be “content” with the outcome if Iran were to end up with a nuclear capability. He said Leon XIV also seemed weak on crime and other issues, adding: “I think it’s very weak with the crime and other things, so no” — and he continued by saying he would not apologize.
In the same session, Trump also addressed the uproar around a social media post from Sunday night that was later deleted from his account. The image showed Trump in a biblical-style setting with figures including a soldier, a nurse, a woman praying, and an observer in a baseball cap, as light appeared to emanate from his hands while he placed them on a sick man. Trump told reporters he posted it but said he believed it was “me as a doctor” and that he thought it had to do with the Red Cross.
“I think I posted it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and that had something to do with the Red Cross,” Trump said, describing a role he said he was meant to play by making people better. He added: “And yes, I do make people better. A lot.” Trump blamed any confusion on “fake news,” while the episode drew criticism from a wide range of people, including some evangelical supporters who objected to the idea of Trump comparing himself to Christ.
The White House confrontation also drew on a sequence that began after Leon XIV responded to Trump the previous night. Leon XIV, speaking to reporters aboard the papal aircraft as he traveled to Algeria, said he regretted that his words appeared to be treated as an attempt to match Trump’s message. “Putting my message on the same level as what the president has tried to do here, I think it’s not understanding what the Gospel message is,” Leon said, adding: “And I’m sorry to hear that, but I will continue with what I believe is the mission of the Church in the world today.”
Leon XIV said he was not making a direct attack either on Trump or on any person, describing his public calls for peace and his criticisms of the war in Iran and other conflicts worldwide as rooted in the Gospel. He said he did not fear the U.S. government and added that he planned to continue speaking “with firmness” against war while seeking peace, promoting dialogue and multilateralism, and urging countries to work toward solutions.
The pope’s statements set the terms for the dispute: Leon XIV had already been critical of U.S. policy and had said God “doesn’t listen to the prayers of those who make war, but rejects them.” In his Monday remarks, he also invoked a passage from the Old Testament of Isaiah, describing a rebuke tied to hands full of blood. In contrast, Trump’s public criticisms went beyond Iran in his Sunday-night posts and Sunday comments after disembarking from Air Force One, with Trump saying he was not a fan of the pope and describing him as progressive.
Trump’s earlier attacks included messages that Leon XIV was “weak on crime” and that Trump did not want a pope who thought it was acceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. Trump also wrote that Leon XIV got the job because he was U.S.-born and that those who elected him believed that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. Trump later told reporters that he did not think the pope was doing “a very good job,” adding: “He likes crime, I guess,” and saying the pope was “a very progressive person.”
The exchange also drew reaction within U.S. Catholic leadership. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, said he was “discouraged” by Trump’s comments. In a statement, Coakley said the pope is not Trump’s rival and is “not a politician,” saying instead that Leon speaks as the Vicar of Christ from the “truth of the Gospel” and the care of souls.
Leon XIV is set to begin an 11-day trip to Africa on Monday, and the public clash with Trump left each side emphasizing different responsibilities as the war with Iran continued. With Trump refusing to apologize and Leon insisting he would keep speaking in line with the Gospel’s message, the dispute signaled a growing fracture between two of the most prominent figures in U.S. and global public life.