The election of Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, as the first American pontiff has elicited a range of responses from supporters of former President Donald Trump.
President Trump publicly celebrated the historic moment, calling it a “great honor” for the United States and expressing eagerness to meet the new pope.
However, Pope Leo XIV’s past criticisms of Trump’s policies, particularly on immigration, have caused some conservative figures to express concern. The pope has previously retweeted posts critical of the Trump administration’s immigration policies and has emphasized the importance of compassion and inclusivity.
Despite these ideological differences, some Trump allies, including Vice President J.D. Vance, have publicly congratulated Pope Leo XIV on his election, highlighting the significance of an American ascending to the papacy.
As Pope Leo XIV begins his tenure, the relationship between the Vatican and conservative American political circles remains a topic of interest, reflecting the complex interplay between religious leadership and political ideologies. However, it will not come without critics speaking out, as expected no matter who was elected as the new Pope.
Some of Pope Leo XIV’s previous social media posts came unearthed as focal points of critics, specifically on X, where users spoke out. One post, from back in February, was about Vice President JD Vance. Pope Leo XIV retweeted a headline saying: “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.” It was an article that talked about Christian priorities and other things, as reported on Alternet.
The article was critical of Vance over his comments suggesting a hierarchy of Christian priorities. The news article about MAGA outrage against the Pope also stated the following:
[Laura Loomer] said: “The new Pope @drprevost supports illegal aliens and open borders. He retweeted tweets in support of “dreamers” aka illegals and attacked President Trump’s use of the phrase “bad hombres” to describe violent illegal aliens. He thinks it’s a “racist” phrase,” she said in in one of the posts.
In another post, she wrote: “The new Pope once retweeted a post about how we need to keep praying for career criminal & drug addict George Floyd. The tweet said, ‘May all hatred, violence and prejudice be eradicated.’ What prejudice? Is that another way to spell FENTANYL OVERDOSE? MARXIST POPE!”
