politics
April 15, 2026
A history of US presidents clashing with the Vatican
Trump’s attack on Pope Leo XIV is the rawest rupture in modern memory, but past presidents, from Clinton to Obama, have also found themselves at odds with the Holy See
TL;DR
- Donald Trump is currently in a public feud with Pope Leo XIV, escalating from criticisms of the US-Israeli war on Iran to personal attacks and an AI-generated image of Trump as a Jesus-like figure.
- Previous US presidents have also had significant conflicts with pontiffs, including Pope Francis over migration and the US-Mexico border wall, and Pope John Paul II over the Iraq War, abortion, and contraception.
- The Obama administration faced difficulties with the Vatican concerning contraception referrals and was placed on a money-laundering watchlist, alongside reports of NSA monitoring of Vatican communications.
- The Catholic Church is the largest religious denomination in the US, with Pope Leo XIV being the first US-born pontiff and viewed favorably by most American Catholics.
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