With his attacks on the Pope, Trump is also alienating staunch supporters among Catholic clergy. But he is creating the biggest problem for his potential successors J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio.
After Trump's tirade against the Pope, even the most loyal allies of the American president among the Catholic bishops in the United States have distanced themselves from him - such as right-wing hardliner Robert Barron, the team leader of Winona-Rochester. Barron was considered one of the last right-wing hardliners after the bishops who are closely aligned with Trump. But now even he has described the president's statements as "completely inappropriate and disrespectful". Trump must apologize to the Pope, the cleric is convinced.
Trump united the Catholic Church in the US around the Pope
Trump's attacks inadvertently accelerated the process that the new Pope has been working towards purposefully since taking office a year ago: the unification of the Catholic Church in the US, which is divided between its progressive and conservative representatives.
Leo XIV's predecessor, Pope Francis, failed in this direction - the conservative camp refused to listen to him, ARD recalls. In his election in 2024, Trump won about 60 percent of the vote among white Catholics, but also received unexpected support from Hispanics.
Against deportation and military policies
Pope Leo XIV continues the course of his predecessor, and with his quiet but carefully chosen statements he represents a meaningful counterpoint to the hot-tempered president, notes Arnd Henze of the ARD. He also emphasizes his connection to his hometown of Chicago.
Therefore, the new pope cannot be ignored either by Washington or by the leadership of the Catholic Church, although he purposefully turns its priorities upside down. The ARD explains that the Pope's desire is for the Catholic Bishops' Conference in the United States to focus on the following two main themes: rejection of the deportation policy of the immigration service ICE and border services, as well as criticism of the aggressive military policy being pursued.
On the issue of migration, even before the election of the Pope, there was an open conflict between the then Cardinal Robert Prevost, as his birth name is, and Vice President J.D. Vance. "J.D. Vance is wrong", the future Pope laconically stated at the time about the attitude towards migrants.
On the issue of war and peace, the Pope also said nothing new, but his formulations can be interpreted as a clear criticism of religious propaganda from Washington. During the war against Iran, the US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth personally prayed for "unrelenting force against those who deserve no mercy". And he added: "May every bullet find its target against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation." The answer from Rome was not long in coming: "God does not hear such prayers".
The conflict will also affect Trump's successors
The pope's calls for diplomacy and respect for international law angered Trump. He should stop "serving the radical left" and limit himself to being a great pope. Leo XIV was terrible at foreign policy and wanted Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. And he only became pope because he was an American. "If I weren't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican," Trump claims.
There may be a grain of truth behind this definition - but certainly not in the sense that Trump puts it. Some cardinals in the conclave may have been wondering who could most effectively oppose the US president while uniting the fractured US bishops' conference, writes Arnd Henze.
For the next presidential election, Trump no longer needs to seek allies. But he would do well not to alienate the hard core of the MAGA movement.
ARD predicts trouble for his potential successors, such as Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Both are Catholics, but while Rubio has so far refrained from getting involved in the controversy with Rome, Vance seems increasingly isolated in the MAGA camp. He announced that he will publish a book in June titled "First Communion", in which he will talk about his Catholic faith. It is impossible to predict in advance what the reactions will be, but the book is already causing ridicule, since its cover depicts not a Catholic, but a Methodist church, writes ARD.