So here's a thing that happened over the weekend: Anthony Scaramucci, who you might remember had a famously brief stint as White House communications director, decided to weigh in on President Donald Trump's latest public spat. And it wasn't about trade policy or the Fed. It was about the Pope.
Scaramucci took to X on Sunday to share a clip from a NewsNation interview where Trump was asked about his recent social media criticism of Pope Leo XIV. Trump's response was, well, very Trump. "I don't think he's doing a very good job. He likes crime, I guess," the president said. He went on to question the Pope's focus on fear, asking, "What about the fear when the ministers and the priests and all of those great people that were arrested during COVID?"
Trump wrapped up his thoughts by saying, "I don't like it. I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo. He's a very liberal person. He's a man that doesn't believe in stopping crime."
Scaramucci's reaction was a concise piece of advice that sounded a bit like someone watching a friend about to send a regrettable late-night text. "Trump exit interview. Let's move on before this gets worse and worse," he wrote. It's the political equivalent of saying, "Hey, maybe don't poke that bear."
The Backlash Begins
And poke it he did, because the reaction wasn't limited to former aides. The comments triggered a surprisingly bipartisan wave of criticism.
On the right, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene took issue with Trump's Easter-related social media activity, criticizing him for attacking Pope Leo over Iran and sharing an image she claimed portrayed Trump as replacing Jesus. It's not every day you see a prominent Trump ally publicly chiding him over religious imagery.
On the left, the response was more direct. California Governor Gavin Newsom's press office mocked Republicans, essentially asking if the GOP was "good with your guy directly attacking the Pope" and suggesting party leadership lacked the courage to respond. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona called it "abhorrent" for a president to publicly attack the Pope. Kelly accused Trump of "flailing" amid consequences from U.S. military actions in Iran and suggested he was targeting institutions like the Church to deflect responsibility.
Trump Doubles Down
Not one to back down from a fight, especially one conducted via social media, Trump took to Truth Social to expand on his critique. He called Pope Leo "weak on crime" and "terrible for foreign policy," accusing him of ignoring COVID-era church restrictions while targeting his administration.
The president also claimed the Pope holds flawed positions on Iran and Venezuela, suggested his election was politically influenced, and accused him of aligning with "radical left" figures. His advice to the pontiff? Stop the political commentary and focus on leading the Catholic Church.
It's a fascinating moment in the always-unpredictable intersection of politics, religion, and social media. You have a sitting U.S. president in a public dispute with the head of the Catholic Church, a former aide warning it could spiral, and criticism coming from both sides of the aisle. Scaramucci's plea to "move on" might be the most pragmatic take in the whole affair, but in today's political climate, moving on is rarely the first option chosen.
