President Donald Trump’s dispute with Pope Leo XIV has intensified tensions within the Republican Party, as conservative media figures engage in heated debates over the pontiff’s leadership of the Roman Catholic Church and some vulnerable midterm candidates openly criticize the president; the confrontation has dominated conservative media in recent days, with Fox News host Sean Hannity stating on his program that Pope Leo appears more focused on promoting left-wing politics than the teachings of Jesus Christ and accusing him of using religion to specifically target Trump; earlier, on his podcast, Hannity questioned whether the pope had even read the Bible, a remark that drew a sharp response from former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who argued that such criticism reflects a cable-news mindset and described the pope’s stance on the Middle East conflict as fairly conventional; meanwhile, Trump has escalated his rhetoric, calling Pope Leo “terrible for foreign policy” and “weak on crime” in a social media post, while also attacking Carlson for his views on the war; on Friday morning, Trump renewed his criticism of Carlson and other dissenting conservative voices, suggesting on social media that he might rank commentators on a “list of good, bad, and somewhere in the middle,” further deepening divisions within conservative circles.
Trump–Pope Clash Sparks Tensions Within Republican Ranks
