Why is Donald Trump Afraid of Pope Leo XIV?

The president is keeping his distance from the first American pope — dodging a moral reckoning on migrants and war, and dreading a spotlight he can’t control.

Dear friends —

Today’s piece is a subscriber-only deep dive into a peculiar and underreported dynamic unfolding between Washington and the Vatican.

Nearly eight months into the historic papacy of Pope Leo XIV — the first American pontiff — world leaders have been lining up to meet him, from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to France’s Emmanuel Macron and Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Yet one man remains conspicuously absent from the parade of dignitaries in Rome: President Donald J. Trump. Despite publicly congratulating Leo back in May and claiming he’d “look forward” to a meeting, the president has so far avoided any face-to-face encounter with the new pope — let alone a phone call.

Instead, Trump has chosen to engage in a bizarre bit of diplomatic dodgeball – publicly praising Pope Leo’s MAGA-supporting older brother while sidestepping Leo himself.

Why would the self-proclaimed master deal-maker snub a sitting pope, especially one from his own country? As we’ll explore, Trump’s cold shoulder to Leo XIV seems rooted in two things: fear of a moral reckoning and an even deeper fear of being upstaged by a figure more powerful (and popular) than himself on the world stage.

This is exactly the kind of story traditional media misses. Political reporters note the latest Washington intrigue; Vatican journalists chronicle Leo’s pronouncements — but few connect the dots. That’s why Letters from Leo exists. We shine light on the intersections of faith and power that others overlook. And thanks to your support, we can call out these telling moments.

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On its face, it’s a bizarre situation: the U.S. President won’t speak with the pope — even when the pope is an American.

In recent months, Pope Leo XIV has met or spoken with a who’s who of global figures. Mexico’s president, Italy’s head of state, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Israel’s Prime Minister, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz — all have conferred with Leo in some fashion.

These leaders recognize the moral and diplomatic clout Pope Leo wields as both a religious figure and a statesman.

Even Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney flew to Rome to attend Leo’s inaugural Mass and personally thank the pope for his message of “unity, compassion, and peace.”

By contrast, Donald Trump has kept his distance, offering only perfunctory praise from afar. On the day Leo XIV was elected, Trump called the new pope’s rise “an honor for our Country” and said “I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV.”

But as of now, those words ring hollow — no meeting has been scheduled, and people I talk to close to Leo and Trump say none is on the horizon.

Why the reluctance? Trump’s own behavior provides clues. When pressed about Pope Leo’s pointed criticisms of his policies, Trump has played dumb — pretending he isn’t even aware of Leo’s critiques.

In a recent interview with Politico’s Dasha Burns, Trump was confronted with Leo XIV’s moral indictment of his administration, including the pope’s charge that Trump’s migrant crackdown is “inhuman” and not truly “pro-life.”

The president’s response? He professed ignorance, claiming “I haven’t seen that.”

This, from a man who moments earlier boasted “I watch everything… I see a lot of things” during the very same interview — a telling contradiction.

Trump even seemed to confuse Leo with his predecessor at one point, a sign that either his feigned ignorance or genuine indifference runs deep.

The strategy was clear: by acting unaware of Leo’s rebukes, Trump could avoid engaging with them.

But make no mistake, Pope Leo’s criticisms have been loud and explicit. Since ascending to the papacy in May, Leo XIV — formerly Chicago’s Cardinal Robert Prevost — has not shied from calling out Trumpism by name. He lambasted the “cruelty” of treating migrants like “garbage” after Trump’s ICE raids, exhorting that such policies are “serious crimes… by the state” that no Christian conscience can tolerate.

He pointedly expanded the definition of pro-life to include refugee families at the border and victims of war, not just the unborn — a move that unsettled Republicans used to owning the “pro-life” brand.

On issues of war and peace, Leo has been just as bold. When Trump floated military action in Venezuela, Leo publicly urged him to drop the cowboy chatter and seek dialogue.

After Trump’s harsh comments about “weak” European leaders, Leo took the unusual step of defending the transatlantic alliance, warning Trump not to “break apart” the U.S.-Europe relationship.

And behind closed doors, Vatican diplomats have quietly resisted Trump’s more hawkish instincts — from Ukraine to the Middle East — emboldened by Leo’s moral stance.

It’s an open secret in Rome that Leo XIV would eagerly welcome a frank discussion with Trump about any of these issues. It’s Trump who demurs.

The first reason for Trump’s avoidance is obvious.