Camilla Jessen
As Trump tried to take credit for the Pope’s appointment, Pope Leo XIV responded with a carefully crafted speech that many saw as a quiet rebuke.
Just one day after Donald Trump made the claim that he played a role in Pope Leo XIV’s rise to the papacy, the pontiff stood before reporters in Vatican City and gave a speech that many interpreted as a direct response.
During a roundtable discussion from the Vatican aired on This Week on May 11,
ABC’s Martha Raddatz and senior national correspondent Terry Moran made it clear: Trump had nothing to do with the appointment.
“The question that we had was how much did the American moment with President Trump matter? They’re telling us not at all,” Moran said.
Raddatz added, “It was him,” referring to Cardinal Robert Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV.
Trump’s Reaction
Hours later, Trump took to Truth Social.
“So funny to watch old timer Martha Raditz on ABC Fake News (the Slopadopolus show!) this morning, blurt out that, effectively, Pope Leo’s selection had nothing to do with Donald Trump,” he wrote.
Trump then tied the event to his 2016 electoral win among Catholic voters and criticized Disney CEO Bob Iger, throwing around familiar jabs at “losers and haters” on television.
The internet quickly responded.
“Is Trump claiming he had something to do with the election of the Pope? Embarrassing,” one user wrote on X.
Another called the post “deplorable,” while a third summed it up as “narcissistic.”
Pope Leo’s Message of ‘Disarmed Communication’
Less than 24 hours after Trump’s comments, Pope Leo addressed over 1,000 journalists in Vatican City with a speech centered on the moral power of the media and the sacred role of free expression.
“We must say ‘no’ to the war of words and images,” the Pope said in Italian, according to Reuters. “Let us disarm communication of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred; let us free it from aggression.”
He emphasized the need for listening over shouting, compassion over confrontation, and urged governments to protect press freedom and release imprisoned journalists.
“We do not need loud, forceful communication but rather communication that is capable of listening,” he said.
Though Trump wasn’t mentioned, the speech’s timing and tone hit close to home for many observers.
Online, users pointed out the contrast between Trump’s all-caps rage posts and the Pope’s calm call for respectful dialogue.
After the address, Pope Leo walked among reporters and was asked by NewsNation correspondent Robert Sherman if he had a message for the United States.
The pontiff paused, smiled broadly, and delivered a one-word reply: “Many.”
Then he added, “God bless you all.”
The moment is already going viral.