Trump's Pope Criticism Sparks Religious Backlash

Part of US Domestic Political Developments

President Trump's public dispute with Pope Leo XIV, initiated by Trump's AI-generated Christ-like image post and criticism, has sparked significant backlash among his Catholic and evangelical Christian supporters and is reverberating in US Catholic neighborhoods. On April 13, 2026, President Trump's social media attacks on Pope Leo XIV, including an AI-generated image, were reported by the WSJ. By April 14, Trump faced significant backlash from Catholic and evangelical Christian supporters, as highlighted by Sky News. As of April 17, the dispute, specifically over the Iran war, continues to impact Catholic voters in America, with sentiment reported as mixed.