The New Pope Is NOT a Fan of Donald Trump! See His Tweets — and What They Really Tell Us
The election of Pope Leo XIV was historic for many reasons. He became the first American-born pope in the history of the Catholic Church, bringing a Chicago native to the very center of global Catholicism. But almost immediately after the white smoke appeared over the Vatican, another story began taking over social media: What does the new pope think about Donald Trump?
The answer is complicated—but there is plenty of evidence that Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, has disagreed sharply with important parts of Trump's political agenda.
Long before he became pope, Prevost maintained an account on X, formerly known as Twitter, where he shared articles and messages concerning immigration, Christianity, social justice and American politics. Several of those posts were critical of Trump administration policies and, in particular, the views of Vice President JD Vance. Reuters reported in May 2025 that the account contained posts critical of policies associated with Trump and Vance, although Reuters initially noted that it could not independently authenticate who operated the account.
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Reuters
So, is it accurate to say that "the new pope hates Donald Trump"?
Not really.
It is more accurate—and much more interesting—to say that Pope Leo XIV has demonstrated significant disagreements with Trump on immigration, war, the treatment of migrants, climate policy and the use of Christian language in politics.
And those disagreements have become considerably more public since Leo became pope.
The first American pope—and an unexpected political story
When Robert Prevost was elected pope in May 2025 and chose the name Leo XIV, Americans across the political spectrum immediately began trying to figure out what kind of pope he would be.
Donald Trump initially reacted positively.
Trump congratulated Leo and described the election of an American pope as a tremendous honor for the United States. He said he looked forward to meeting the new pontiff and called the moment meaningful for the country.
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The Washington Post
That warm reaction was particularly notable because Trump's political allies quickly began digging through Prevost's old social-media activity.
What they found was not the profile of a straightforward Trump supporter.
Instead, Prevost had shared material criticizing aspects of the Trump administration's immigration policies and questioning arguments made by JD Vance, Trump's vice president.
CBS News reported that the future pope had shared an article in February 2025 titled, "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others." The article challenged Vance's interpretation of the Christian concept known as ordo amoris, or the ordering of love.
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That was only one example.
Prevost had also shared material concerning the treatment of migrants and refugees. Reuters reported that he reposted material questioning the morality of Trump's immigration policies and later shared a message concerning the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador that asked, in substance, whether people witnessing suffering could remain silent.
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Those posts suddenly looked very different after the man behind the account became Pope Leo XIV.
So, did Pope Leo actually "tweet" against Trump?
This is where an important distinction needs to be made.
Headlines often describe these posts as "the pope's tweets," but many of the controversial posts were made before Prevost became pope, when he was a cardinal and bishop.
That distinction matters.
The former account associated with Prevost was used before his election to the papacy. After his election, his public communications moved to the official papal accounts, including the longstanding @Pontifex account.
In other words, it would be misleading to suggest that Pope Leo XIV suddenly opened his phone after becoming pope and began personally attacking Donald Trump on Twitter.
The evidence is better described this way:
Robert Prevost had already expressed views that conflicted with major parts of Trump's political agenda before becoming Pope Leo XIV.
His old social-media history provided clues about those views.
And events after his election have provided considerably more evidence.
The JD Vance controversy
One of the most revealing examples involved JD Vance.
Vance is himself a Catholic and has frequently discussed his faith in relation to politics. During the 2024 presidential campaign and afterward, he defended a concept involving the ordering of obligations toward family, community and others.
Vance's interpretation generated criticism from Catholic commentators and others who believed that Christian teaching should not be used to justify treating certain groups of people as less worthy of compassion.
Prevost entered that debate by sharing an article titled "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others."
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That post was significant because it was not simply a disagreement over a technical political issue.
It concerned a fundamental question:
Who deserves our compassion?
For Pope Leo, the Catholic answer appears to be strongly connected to the dignity of every human person, including migrants and people who may have no political power.
That places him at odds with some of the rhetoric surrounding Trump's immigration policies.
It also helps explain why Leo's relationship with the Trump administration has become so politically sensitive.
Immigration may be the biggest dividing line
If there is one issue that repeatedly appears in the story of Leo and Trump, it is immigration.
Catholic teaching has long emphasized the dignity of migrants and refugees. But the political debate in the United States has become increasingly polarized, particularly around border enforcement, deportation and asylum.
Prevost's previous social-media activity indicated discomfort with harsh approaches toward migrants.
In 2017, according to reporting cited after his election, he shared a message criticizing the suspension of the U.S. refugee program and expressing concern for Syrian refugees. The message asked how a nation could turn away people in desperate need and invoked Jesus in describing their suffering.
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The Daily Beast
Years later, his concerns about immigration were still visible.
After becoming pope, Leo also criticized aspects of U.S. immigration policy more directly. ABC News reported that he questioned whether the treatment of immigrants in the United States could be reconciled with a genuinely pro-life position.
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That argument is important because Leo is not simply presenting an American political "left versus right" position.
He is making a theological argument.
For Leo, opposition to abortion does not automatically settle the question of what it means to defend human life.
A person can oppose abortion while also being expected to oppose cruelty toward immigrants, the death penalty and other threats to human dignity.
That position creates an obvious tension with parts of Trump's political program.
Then came the issue of war
If immigration created one major disagreement between Leo and the Trump administration, war turned it into a much bigger confrontation.
In 2026, tensions between the Vatican and the Trump administration intensified over U.S. military policy toward Iran and other international conflicts.
Pope Leo repeatedly called for peace and diplomacy.
Trump, meanwhile, became increasingly frustrated with the pope's public statements.
The disagreement was no longer about old social-media posts.
It was now a direct confrontation between the president of the United States and the leader of the Catholic Church.
In March 2026, Leo called for dialogue and a ceasefire amid the conflict involving Iran. Trump responded that the United States was not looking to pursue the kind of ceasefire the pope was advocating.
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The pope's message became even stronger.
During a March 29 address, Leo said that Jesus is the "King of Peace" and warned against using religion to justify war. The statement did not name Trump personally, but its timing and context made the political implications impossible to ignore.
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That is an important distinction.
The pope did not need to write, "Donald Trump is wrong."
He could speak in terms of Christian morality, peace and human dignity.
People could then decide for themselves how those principles applied to government policy.
Trump's response was much more direct
Eventually, Trump responded directly.
In April 2026, Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV on social media, calling him "weak on Crime" and "terrible for Foreign Policy." Trump also criticized Leo's position concerning Iran's nuclear ambitions and described the pope as too liberal.
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The exchange was extraordinary.
The president of the United States was publicly criticizing an American-born pope over international affairs.
And the pope was refusing to back away from his call for peace.
Trump subsequently said he would not apologize.
The Vatican, meanwhile, continued emphasizing diplomacy, peace and the protection of civilians.
The dispute demonstrated that the relationship between the two men had changed dramatically from the enthusiastic congratulations Trump offered when Leo was elected.
From "great honor" to public criticism
The evolution of the relationship is perhaps the most fascinating part of the story.
When Leo was elected, Trump celebrated the historic moment.
Trump said it was an honor for the United States and expressed enthusiasm about meeting him.
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The Washington Post
But within a year, the relationship had become openly contentious.
Trump's criticism of Leo was not limited to policy disagreements. It became part of a broader political argument about what the Catholic Church should say about crime, immigration, war and American foreign policy.
Meanwhile, Catholic bishops in the United States increasingly defended Leo.
Religion News Service reported in April 2026 that Trump's attacks on the pope appeared to have produced an unusual degree of unity among U.S. Catholic bishops. Some bishops who had disagreed over other political and theological issues rallied behind Leo's position on peace and other matters.
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National Catholic Reporter
That is a remarkable development.
A pope who had been portrayed by some conservatives as too liberal or too close to Pope Francis suddenly became a unifying figure for much of the American Catholic hierarchy.
But Leo is not simply "anti-Trump"
This is where the viral version of the story can become misleading.
Pope Leo XIV is not simply a Democratic politician wearing papal robes.
He has positions that overlap with conservative Catholic teaching.
For example, Reuters noted that Leo opposes abortion, a position shared by Trump and Vance.
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Reuters
He also does not fit neatly into the traditional American political categories of "liberal" and "conservative."
That is because the Catholic Church's social teaching does not map perfectly onto either major American political party.
Catholic teaching can simultaneously emphasize opposition to abortion, concern for migrants, opposition to the death penalty, support for family life, environmental stewardship, economic justice and the pursuit of peace.
American political parties tend to divide those issues differently.
The pope does not have to accept the entire package offered by either party.
That is precisely why Leo's political identity is difficult to categorize.
What about those old posts?
The old social-media posts are still important because they reveal how Leo thought about several issues before becoming pope.
But they should not be treated as a collection of campaign slogans.
Most of the posts were shares, reposts or links to articles rather than lengthy political manifestos written personally by Prevost.
That matters.
Sharing an article indicates that someone considered its content worth highlighting, but it does not necessarily mean that the person agrees with every word in it.
Reuters specifically noted this issue when it reported on the old account, saying it could not immediately verify who operated the account.
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Reuters
Other major news organizations subsequently reported on the account and its contents, making it clear why the posts became a subject of intense scrutiny after the conclave.
Still, responsible readers should avoid turning every repost into a definitive statement of papal doctrine.
The "anti-Trump pope" label
The phrase "anti-Trump pope" is catchy.
It is also incomplete.
Leo's disagreements with Trump are real, but they are rooted in broader Catholic principles rather than simply partisan opposition.
Consider immigration.
Leo's concern is not merely that Trump is a Republican.
It is that government policy should respect human dignity.
Consider war.
Leo's concern is not merely that Trump is a particular president.
It is that Christians should not casually embrace violence and that civilians should be protected.
Consider climate change.
Leo's concern is connected to Catholic teaching about stewardship of creation and the responsibility of humanity toward future generations.
Consider the death penalty.
Again, the disagreement is connected to a longstanding theological and moral debate.
In other words, Leo is not necessarily saying:
"I oppose Donald Trump, therefore I oppose his policies."
His position is closer to:
"I believe certain principles are required by the Gospel, and government policy should be judged against those principles."
That is a very different argument.
The pope's most powerful weapon is not Twitter
Perhaps the biggest irony in this entire story is that the old tweets are no longer the most important part.
The real story is what Leo has done with the papacy.
As pope, he has a platform unlike anything he possessed as Cardinal Prevost.
When he speaks about peace, immigration or human dignity, his words are no longer simply the opinions of an American bishop.
They become part of the public teaching and diplomacy of the Holy See.
That gives his criticism—or even his indirect criticism—much greater international significance.
In July 2026, Leo gave an interview to NBC News in which he spoke about what America represents to him. He emphasized freedom, opportunity and America's historic openness to people arriving from around the world. He also spoke about his own family's immigrant history.
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He did not need to mention Trump by name.
The contrast was obvious enough.
His comments placed immigration and openness within his understanding of the American ideal.
That is a powerful message coming from the first American pope.
The Vatican versus Washington?
It would be tempting to portray this as a simple political war between the Vatican and the White House.
But that would miss the larger story.
The Catholic Church is not an American institution.
Its leader may have been born in Chicago, but his responsibility is global.
Leo is addressing Catholics in Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and North America.
His concerns about war in the Middle East are not merely American political talking points.
His concerns about migration affect millions of people worldwide.
His emphasis on peace reflects centuries of Catholic teaching.
That is why Leo's disagreements with Trump cannot be reduced to a personality feud.
The pope's office requires him to speak about moral questions that politicians may prefer to treat as matters of national interest.
The president, on the other hand, is elected to pursue what his administration considers America's interests.
Those responsibilities can naturally collide.
Trump and Leo represent two very different kinds of power
There is also something fascinating about the contrast between these two men.
Trump's political power comes from elections, political movements and the authority of the American presidency.
Leo's authority comes from the Catholic Church and its enormous global community.
Trump communicates directly and aggressively through social media.
Leo generally communicates through sermons, statements, diplomatic meetings and religious teaching.
Trump often frames political questions in terms of strength and victory.
Leo frequently frames them in terms of peace, human dignity and moral responsibility.
Neither man needs the other's approval.
And that is exactly why the conflict can be so intense.
What the old tweets really tell us
If we strip away the sensational headlines, the old posts tell us something fairly simple.
Robert Prevost was not politically unaware.
He was paying attention to American political debates.
He was willing to share criticism of immigration policies.
He was willing to amplify arguments challenging JD Vance's interpretation of Christian teaching.
He expressed concern about refugees.
He promoted messages about social justice and human dignity.
And he did not appear particularly interested in fitting neatly into the political identity that some Americans might expect from a conservative Catholic leader.
That history became especially significant once he became Pope Leo XIV.
But it does not prove that he is a partisan Democrat, nor does it mean that every article he shared represented a fully developed political position.
The evidence supports a more nuanced conclusion.
Leo is a pope whose Catholic worldview frequently conflicts with important elements of Trump's political agenda.
That is much more defensible than simply saying, "The pope hates Trump."
Why this story matters beyond Trump
Ultimately, the biggest story here is not whether Pope Leo XIV personally likes Donald Trump.
Popes and presidents do not need to be friends.
The more important question is what happens when political power and religious authority disagree over fundamental moral questions.
The Trump-Leo relationship provides a fascinating case study.
Trump has built a political movement around nationalism, immigration restrictions, border enforcement and an assertive approach to American foreign policy.
Leo has emphasized universal human dignity, concern for migrants, peace and the moral responsibilities that accompany political power.
There is bound to be friction.
And because Leo is the first American pope, the friction carries an additional layer of symbolism.
For generations, Americans watched the Catholic Church from the outside and wondered what it would mean if an American ever occupied the papal throne.
Now that it has happened, the answer is unexpectedly complicated.
The first American pope is not simply echoing the politics of the White House.
He is challenging Americans—including American presidents—to think about their country through a wider moral and global lens.
So, is the headline true?
"The new Pope is NOT a fan of Donald Trump!"
As a headline, it captures part of the story.
But the reality is more nuanced.
Pope Leo XIV has a documented history of sharing material critical of Trump's immigration policies and of JD Vance's interpretation of Christian teaching.
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As pope, Leo has also publicly opposed policies and actions associated with the Trump administration, particularly concerning immigration and military conflict.
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Trump, for his part, has moved from celebrating the historic election of an American pope to publicly criticizing Leo's positions and refusing to apologize for doing so.
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So yes, there is a real political and philosophical clash.
But calling Leo simply "anti-Trump" misses the deeper issue.
The pope appears less interested in choosing an American political team than in insisting that Catholic principles—peace, human dignity, compassion for migrants and the protection of human life—should not be sacrificed for political convenience.
And that may be the most interesting part of the entire story.
The first American pope did not arrive at the Vatican as another voice in America's partisan shouting match.
He arrived as the leader of a global church.
And when his understanding of Christian morality collides with the policies of the most powerful politician in the United States, he appears willing to speak.
That is why those old tweets and reposts matter.
Not because they prove that Pope Leo XIV "hates" Donald Trump.
They don't.
They matter because they offer an early glimpse of the worldview that would later become impossible to ignore once Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV.
And if the events of 2026 are any indication, the debate between the White House and the Vatican is far from over.
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