With the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost, now known as Leo XIV, to the papacy, President Donald Trump — who quarreled to the end with the late Pope Francis — is unlikely to feel any improved goodwill to the Catholic leadership.
And many commenters on social media had fun with the idea.
Trump met the news of the pope's election Thursday with enthusiasm, proclaiming on Truth Social, "It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!"
He followed up by telling reporters at the White House, “It's such a great honor for our country, an American pope, and what greater honor can there be.”
However, he appeared unaware for the time being, or at least didn't acknowledge, that the new pope has repeatedly attacked his and Vice President JD Vance's policies.
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Some commenters made fun of the fact that Trump appears to be jumping the gun about how celebrating the Catholic church's new leader, while others speculated — sometimes tongue-in-cheek — what the president may do next.
"I wonder if Trump will try to fire the new Pope," wrote Allison Gill, a liberal commentator better known as "Mueller She Wrote."
"You know Trump heard 'first American pope' and got his hopes up for a moment," wrote Washington Post columnist Philip Bump — a reference to the fact that the president recently rubbed a number of Catholics the wrong way by posting an AI-generated image of himself as the pope.
"Pope Trump is going to be mighty angry that the selection of the new pope will wipe his fake 'trade deal' with the UK off the media," wrote "Mrs. Betty Bowers," the satirical persona of Canadian comedian Deven Green.
