Trump’s Dispute With Pope Leo Deepens Divisions on the Right
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- President Trump’s conflict with Pope Leo XIV has heightened tensions within the Republican Party, sparking disputes among conservative media figures and criticism from some vulnerable GOP midterm candidates.
- The controversy centers on the pope’s outspoken opposition to the war in Iran, which Trump has publicly condemned, calling the pope “terrible for foreign policy” and “weak on crime.”
- Conservative commentators are divided, with Fox News host Sean Hannity accusing the pope of promoting left-wing politics, while former Fox host Tucker Carlson defended the pope’s stance as conventional criticism of the Middle East conflict.
- Trump has also criticized Carlson for his comments, suggesting on social media that conservative commentators should be ranked on a “list of good, bad, and somewhere in the middle,” intensifying the intra-party media feud.
