VATICAN CITY — U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested, without evidence, that he played a role in the election of Pope Leo XIV, the newly installed head of the Roman Catholic Church, despite having no formal connection to the papal conclave that selected the new pontiff.
In a post on Truth Social late Sunday, May 11, 2025, Trump criticised ABC News and longtime correspondent Martha Raddatz, accusing the network of downplaying his relevance to Pope Leo’s election.
“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,” the president wrote.
“It came out of nowhere, but it was on her Trump Deranged Mind.”
Trump, who has previously boasted about his popularity among Catholic voters, added that he “did WIN the Catholic Vote, by a lot,” and took aim at ABC’s parent company, Disney, urging CEO Bob Iger to “do something about the losers and haters he’s got on his low-rated shows.”
His remarks came just hours before Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago, held his first press conference since being elected last week as the first North American pope.
Addressing thousands of journalists gathered in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, the pontiff issued a broad call for humility and responsibility in global communication.
“Let us disarm words,” Leo said.
“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.”
Calling for a rejection of “prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred,” Pope Leo urged the media to “listen and gather the voices of the weak who have no voice,” in a message that contrasted sharply with the tone of political discourse in recent years.
Pope Leo’s remarks come as he steps into the papacy amid rising global polarisation and criticism from conservative figures aligned with Trump.
Notably, far-right commentator Laura Loomer labelled the new pontiff an “anti-Trump Marxist,” citing his progressive stance on issues like immigration and social inclusion.
In the lead-up to his election, Leo attracted attention for sharing critical views of nationalist political rhetoric.
In February, he reposted an article headlined “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others,” in response to the Ohio senator’s defence of the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies.
He also previously reposted a Washington Post op-ed by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, warning about the moral risks of anti-immigrant rhetoric during Trump’s first presidential campaign.
The Vatican has not responded to Trump’s comments, and there is no indication that any non-clerical figure—particularly a foreign head of state—played a role in the confidential conclave proceedings.
The conclave, which convened last week following the death of Pope Francis, elected Leo XIV in a process governed strictly by centuries of canon law and tradition.
The 69-year-old Augustinian missionary spent much of his clerical career in Latin America and was seen as a candidate committed to outreach and pastoral reform.
