Some Folks Are Calling Pope Leo XIV "Woke" Over His Anti-Trump Views
"I like Pope Leo XIV already!"
Published May 8 2025, 4:54 p.m. ET
Congratulations are in order for American-born (Chicago native) Pope Leo XIV, who, up until May 8, 2025, went by Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. He was elected during the conclave on May 8 and will now lead the Catholic Church following the death of Pope Francis.
But perhaps the one person who wasn’t presumably thrilled to extend his congratulations, despite doing so on Truth Social, is President Donald Trump.
Turns out, based on the new pope’s X (formerly Twitter) activity, he’s made it pretty clear he’s not exactly a fan of the 47th president's agenda. And since he’s American-born, people are especially curious about the anti-Trump views Pope Leo XIV holds. Let’s take a look back at some of his posts and what they reveal about how he really feels.
Pope Leo XIV has expressed som anti-Trump views over the years.
Pope Leo XIV may be American, in fact, the first American to ever assume the role, but that doesn’t mean he’s pro-Trump or supports the president’s agenda. As of this writing, his most recent post to X (formerly Twitter) on April 14 was a repost from Catholic commentator Rocco Palmo, who criticized Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele for their approach to immigration reform. And that is just one example.
Pope Leo XIV also had something to say about Trump’s vice president, J.D. Vance. In a Feb. 3 post to X, he shared a link to a National Catholic Reporter article titled, "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others."
The article pushed back on comments Vance made during a Jan. 29 Fox News interview, where he said, "There is a Christian concept that you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritize the rest of the world. A lot of the far left has completely inverted that."
The article argued that Vance’s take echoed a medieval concept known as ordo amoris, the idea that love should be ranked.
That one post from Pope Leo XIV sparked plenty of praise in the comments. Democratic political influencer Harry Sisson wrote, "I like Pope Leo XIV already!" Another chimed in with, "Get his a--, Holy Father." Political strategist Chris D. Jackson even added, "This is poetic justice for Trump mocking Catholicism with that ridiculous photo last week," referring to an AI-generated image shared by the White House Instagram page that showed Trump dressed in full papal attire.
Pope Leo XIV has been questioning Trump's agenda since before his first presidency.
It would appear Pope Leo XIV has been questioning Trump’s agenda since before he even became president in 2016. In a July 2015 X post, he shared a Washington Post article titled, "Cardinal Dolan: Why Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric is so problematic."
He’s consistently pushed back on Trump’s immigration agenda, something the former president has made a top priority for years. While many have praised the pope’s outspokenness, others have gone so far as to label him "woke" for speaking out.