Trump slams Pope on social, then posts image as ... Jesus?

• Tension has escalated between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV over social media.
• Trump criticized the pontiff's approach to crime and foreign policy, urging him to be less political.
• The Pope called for peace and dialogue in his Easter message, contrasting with Trump's threats toward Iran.

The growing tension between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV has gone viral on social media.

Trump called the pontiff "Weak on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy" in a lengthy post on the evening of April 12.

"Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician," the president wrote. "It's hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it's hurting the Catholic Church!"

Less than an hour later, the president posted an image of himself, presumably as a deity such as Jesus, curing an ill man. Critics of the image said it delved into idolatry and was reminiscent of one Trump issued almost a year ago of him dressed as the pontiff.

Trump defends post, saying he was portrayed as 'doctor'

Trump told reporters at the White House on April 13 that the image was of himself as a physician.

"I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with the Red Cross … which we support," he said.

The president spoke about the image with reporters after receiving a DoorDash delivery from McDonald's at the Oval Office intended to promote his successful effort to end taxation on tips.

"And only the fake news could come up with that one, so I had just heard about it, and I said, 'How did they come up with that?' It's supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better," Trump continued, with the DoorDasher, identified as Sharon Simmons, standing next to him.

"And I do make people better. I make people a lot better."

Then, as of midday, the post featuring Trump as a healer no longer appeared on the president's Truth Social account.

Earlier that day, USA TODAY reported the pontiff told reporters that he is not intimidated by the president's posts.

“I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do,” Pope Leo said during a gathering at the Vatican.

The pope also commented on the name of Trump’s social media site, Truth Social.

"It's ironic, the name of the site itself. Say no more," he said.

Trump's post follows week of conflict over Iran War

Trump's statements follow a week in which the rift between the American president and American-born pope publicly widened and did so before a global audience of Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

In a social-media post fired off just after 8 a.m. on Easter Sunday, the holiest day in the Christian calendar, Trump demanded Tehran "Open the F****** Strait you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell — JUST WATCH."

He ended the short post, which reiterated that civilian infrastructure including bridges and power plants would be targeted, with a mocking "Praise be to Allah." The president set a deadline of 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, for Tehran to comply with his demands.

Early that day, Trump fired off another post warning that a "whole civilization will die" if the Iranian regime did not capitulate to his demand. The pontiff called that statement "truly unacceptable."

In his Easter message, Pope Leo XIV took a remarkably different position than the U.S. president.

“Let those who have weapons lay them down," the American-born pontiff said in his Easter message. "Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace. Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue. Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them.”

The pontiff, elected in May, has also spoken out in defense of immigrants, as has the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

That said, Catholic voters backed Trump over Democratic rival Kamala Harris by a nearly 2-to-1 margin the 2024 presidential election. Edison Research exit polls stated that white evangelical voters support Trump by about 80%.

"White evangelical Protestants remain the most vital religious constituency of the Republican Party, with more than eight in ten white evangelicals voting for former President Donald Trump," the firm said in a statement.

Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at [email protected]. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.