Donald Trump has claimed credit for the election of Pope Leo XIV, despite having no involvement in the traditional Conclave process that selects a new pope.
In a post on Truth Social, the former US president lashed out at ABC News, trying to link himself to the appointment of the Chicago-born pope, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost.
Trump’s comments followed ABC anchor Martha Raddatz’s assertion that the selection of Pope Leo had no connection to him.
“So funny to watch old timer Martha Raditz on ABC Fake News (the Slopadopolus show!) this morning, blurt out that, effectively, Pope Leo’s selection had nothing to do with Donald Trump,” Trump wrote. “It came out of nowhere, but it was on her Trump Deranged Mind.”
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He went on to claim, “I did WIN the Catholic Vote, by a lot,” and took the opportunity to criticize Disney CEO Bob Iger, demanding he address “the losers and haters he’s got on his low-rated shows.”
Trump’s comments came just hours before Pope Leo delivered his first address as the new pontiff at the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. In his remarks, the newly elected pope called for a new era of communication, one free from hostility and divisiveness.
“Let us disarm communication of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred,” Pope Leo said. “Let us free it from aggression. We do not need loud forceful communication, but rather communication that is capable of listening and gathering the voices of the weak who have no voice.”
The pope continued, “Let us disarm words. Let us disarm words and we will help the world disarm. Disarming communication will allow us to share events of the world and to act in a manner consistent with our human dignity.”
Pope Leo XIV became the first pope from North America after his election during a 24-hour Conclave last week. His appointment, however, has stirred controversy among certain conservative factions, particularly MAGA loyalists, who view the pope’s previous criticism of Trump as a sign of opposition.
Right-wing activist Laura Loomer was quick to label the new pontiff an “anti-Trump Marxist.”
In the run-up to his election as the 267th pope, then-Cardinal Prevost had shared an article from a Catholic publication in February titled, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others,” which challenged the Christian justification for Trump-era immigration policies.
Just days earlier, Vance had referenced a Christian doctrine about prioritizing care for those around us as a reason for supporting the administration’s hardline stance on immigration.
Furthermore, before Trump’s 2016 election, Leo reposted an op-ed from Cardinal Timothy Dolan in the Washington Post with the headline, “Why Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric is so problematic.”
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