Alicia Meehan, Campus Carrier deputy news editor
President Donald Trump responded to criticism from Pope Leo about his foreign policy in Iran by posting an AI-generated image on his Truth Social account on April 12. The image features multiple white Americans and American monuments surrounding himself placing a glowing hand on a man in hospital bed.
On March 31, Pope Leo told the press that he hoped President Donald Trump would follow his statement and end the war in Iran. On April 12, Trump responded by claiming that the Pope is in support of nuclear weaponry and will allow crime in cities.
Associate Professor of Political Science Michael Bailey said that Trump personalized the argument by reprimanding the Pope on his political stances.
“Pope Leo has been critical at a level of abstraction,” Bailey said. “In return, President Trump has responded by being openly critical of Pope Leo by name. [Trump] said that he is weak on crime and weak on foreign policy.”
Pope Leo has not backed down on his stance against war. According to Bailey, the Pope considers it an unjust use of excessive force that won’t solve international conflicts.
“The Pope has said that he’s going to continue to preach the gospel, and he’s not afraid of these powers,” Bailey said. “He has been critical of what he considers to be the unjust use of excessive force, that it doesn’t solve problems.”
A majority of Trump’s following are white evangelical Protestants, with a smaller portion being white Catholics. According to Pew Research, approval rates from these groups have already dropped 7% to 9% from Feb. 2025 to Jan 2026. As of April, a CNN poll found a 31% approval for Trump from Catholics, a 28% drop since Feb 2025.
On Easter Sunday, Trump posted a threat towards Iran on his Truth Social account, including violent threats towards infrastructure, the f-word and the phrase “Praise be to Allah.” Senior Grant Drezek was disappointed in Trump’s online actions that day, along with the AI-generated image Trump posted days later.
Chaplain Jonathan Huggins questioned the intentions behind the depiction of Trump in white and red robes, appearing to be healing with magic. He said that it was obviously referencing traditional depictions of Jesus and compared it to blasphemy. Huggins defined blasphemy as intending to put oneself in the place of God.
“Well at first blush, it’s not good,” Huggins said. “It certainly raises the question of what they were thinking, what they were intending when they posted it. Rightfully, he took it down later and said that he didn’t intend to present himself as Jesus.”
Huggins said that Trump’s actions irritated many Christians. He believes that his posts, as well as his post on Easter Sunday, signify that Trump does not know much about Christianity.
“All the swearing is unbecoming of the office and usually reflects a personal immaturity that I don’t typically respect,” Huggins said. “Him being unaware of the timing goes to what I’ve been saying that he doesn’t really know Christianity from the inside. Some of his policies have gotten support from Christians, but I don’t think that he himself really understands what Christianity is about.”
Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus on April 12.
According to Huggins, popes have always spoken up against political injustices, despite their nonpartisan role. Huggins agreed with Pope Leo’s message for peace.
“The popes have always commented on stuff going on politically, even though the Pope is not really a political agent,” Huggins said. “It’s right that he should say that we want peace by any means possible. You hope that Christian voices would say these kinds of things.”
Bailey discussed the history between US presidents and popes throughout the years. According to Bailey, while it is normal for those in these positions to clash on certain policies or events, Trump’s social media posts are the least diplomatic way that it has been handled.
“Usually in the past, differences between the presidential administration and the Pope were almost always channeled through secondary means, through lower end actors who would speak for the administration,” Bailey said. “So, what’s new about this is the president himself is openly speaking about the Pope and being critical.”
According to PBS News, Vice President JD Vance said that the Pope needed to stay in theology, and away from politics.
“It would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of what’s going on in the Catholic church and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy,” Vance said in an interview.
Jonathan Parker, associate professor of religion, said that when the Pope speaks out against war, he isn’t getting political and is only speaking on morals and the gospel.
“I don’t think the Pope thinks he’s getting into politics,” Parker said. “He’s not commenting on US elections, not trying to push one party over another.”
According to Parker, the Pope’s anti-war position is based on Jesus’ teachings, not political opinion. He said that working towards peace is an integral part of the gospel.
“Jesus doesn’t have particular positions on policies that he left for us,” Parker said. “I think it’s reasonable to have differences of opinion on particular polices, but things like defending the innocent, stopping wars, being people who are peacemakers, are all things that are critical.”
Parker said that it is possible that Trump paid very little attention to what he was depicted wearing in the AI image. He said that Trump may have seen the healing hands helping the patient and posted it.
“That’s a charitable view that he didn’t even notice what he was wearing,” Parker said. “In which case, the accusation is not that he’s being blasphemous, but that he’s just being careless.”
Throughout centuries of warfare, soldiers have tried to honor ceasefires during Easter and Christmas, Christianity’s holiest holidays, according to Parker. Parker expressed disappointment about Trump’s Easter Sunday posts.
“I think a lot of people felt that was reprehensible,” Parker said. “On this most holy of days, we ought to at least recognize that we don’t know what we’re doing. That we may be wrong in our war and we should recognize that this is a temporal conflict. That one day, all wars will cease.”
Drezek, who is a Catholic, said that Trump’s statement about Pope Leo only being selected because of his influence was insulting. Drezek said that the president’s actions are losing him his supporters.
“I think it’s going down a dangerous spiral, and I think Trump is losing it,” Drezek said. “This will not help Republicans, or President Trump in the midterm election.”
Drezek said that Pope Leo will be in his position longer than any US president’s time in office. He expressed confidence the Pope and his ability to handle criticism.
“As far as Popes go, he will last much longer than the US presidency,” Drezek said. “So, if anybody who attacks the Pope, he will stand strong.”