OAN Staff Rayana Unutoa
1:12 PM – Tuesday, April 14, 2026
President Donald Trump appeared to lash out on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, following her own comments of condemnation in relation to the U.S. president’s prior remarks on Pope Leo.
During an interview with an Italian newspaper on Tuesday, Trump said he was “shocked” by Meloni and questioned whether people actually like her.
Over the weekend, the president expressed that Pope Leo is weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy, after the pope denounced Trump’s comments about wiping out the Iranian civilization.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy. He talks about “fear” of the Trump Administration, but doesn’t mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian Organizations, had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everybody else, for holding Church Services, even when going outside, and being ten and even twenty feet apart. I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t! I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country. And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History. Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise. He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican. Unfortunately, Leo’s Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons, does not sit well with me, nor does the fact that he meets with Obama Sympathizers like David Axelrod, a LOSER from the Left, who is one of those who wanted churchgoers and clerics to be arrested. 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. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
In response, Meloni called Trump’s remarks unacceptable, emphasizing that the Pope is the head of the Catholic Church and stating that it is both normal and appropriate for him to speak out in favor of peace.
“The international situation is something we should continue working on to get the peace negotiations going, and do everything possible to stabilize the situation and reopen the Strait (of Hormuz), that for us is essential, not just for fuels but also for fertilizers, another fundamental element for the industry we are talking about today (agriculture),” Meloni said.
President Trump also said that Meloni does not care if Iran obtains a nuclear weapon and subsequently attacks her country.
“It’s her who’s unacceptable, because she doesn’t care if Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if it had the chance,” Trump stated.
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