DONALD Trump has doubled down on his criticism of the Pope as the war of words between the two world leaders rumbles on.
Speaking on the White House front lawn, the president told reporters that Pope Leo XIV was naive about geopolitics.
“The Pope has to understand that this is the real world,” Trump said.
He continued: “I have to do what’s right… the pope has to understand that.
Amidst the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the head of the Catholic Church has repeatedly called for peace.
In a bid to justify US military action, Trump said the conflict is about preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
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The president also criticised the Islamic Republic’s leadership for killing its own people.
When asked about Iran’s plans to execute four more anti-regime protesters, Trump quipped: “Tell that to the Pope.”
However, the president also reassured concerned listeners that he has no personal issue with the pontiff.
“I have nothing against the pope. His brother is MAGA all the way,” Trump said.
The Pope said earlier this week the world is currently “being ravaged by a handful of tyrants”, taking aim at leaders who spend billions on war.
He also condemned those who use religious language to justify their actions, urging a “decisive change of course”.
His remarks were widely interpreted as aimed at US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has invoked Christian language to justify the Iran War.
The Pope also spoke about the “delusion of omnipotence” as he called for the end of all wars.
Neither Trump nor the Middle East conflict were directly named by the pontiff, but the White House viewed it as a direct attack.
Trump began lashing out on Sunday, labelling Leo “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy”.
The president also told reporters he did not think the pontiff was “doing a very good job”, adding that he was “not a fan of Pope Leo”.
In response to Trump’s tirade, Leo insisted that the Vatican‘s appeal for peace is grounded in the Gospel and not intended as a direct criticism of the Trump administration.
In a now-deleted post, Trump then shared an image of himself – which many said appeared to be the president as a Jesus-like figure.
Following heavy criticism, Trump rejected the idea he had likened himself to the son of God.
“It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. And I do make people better. I make people a lot better,” he said.
The Pope then directly named Trump, saying: “I have no fear of the Trump administration, nor speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel.
Trump then sought to educate the religious leader on Iran’s murderous regime on Wednesday.
The president posted: “Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable.”
Trump was referencing the deadly crackdown on anti-regime protesters by the Islamic Republic which started in January, leaving tens of thousands dead.