Trump Spills the Deranged Message He Told Rubio to Give the Pope
The secretary of state was sent to smooth things over with the pope at the Vatican.
Donald Trump expressed his wish that Marco Rubio personally convey the President’s scathing attacks against Pope Leo XIV during the crucial talks held between the two men at the Vatican.
Speaking to reporters during an inspection tour of ongoing renovations at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the 79-year-old President was asked about the specific message he wanted Rubio to deliver to the Pope—this at a time when the Secretary of State was striving to defuse tensions stoked by Trump.
“I just said, tell the pope very nicely, very respectfully, that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
He added: “Also tell the pope that Iran killed 42,000 innocent protesters who didn’t have guns, who didn’t have weapons. Tell that to the pope.”
Rubio had met with Pope Leo on Thursday; it marked the first meeting between the Pontiff and a representative of the Trump administration in nearly a year. The meeting took place against a backdrop of unprecedented tension between the President and the Vatican.
Trump has repeatedly attacked the Pontiff over his pacifist stance regarding Iran since the outbreak of the conflict on February 28; for instance, he falsely insinuated that the Pope viewed Iran’s possession of nuclear weapons as a positive development.
In one of his many diatribes posted on the “Truth Social” platform, Trump branded the Pope as “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.” The dispute subsequently took an unexpected turn when the President posted an AI-generated image on social media depicting himself in the likeness of Jesus Christ.
During Thursday’s diplomatic meetings, an awkward moment also arose when Rubio presented Pope Leo—a Chicago native and White Sox fan—with a small crystal football, while acknowledging that the Pope actually preferred baseball.
In return, Pope Leo gave Rubio a pen crafted from olive wood, noting that the olive branch is a symbol of peace.
In a statement released by the Vatican, it was noted that the two men had “exchanged views” on global issues, particularly the conflict in the Middle East and “the need to work tirelessly toward the establishment of peace.”
Trump had renewed his attacks against the Pope earlier this week during an interview with Hugh Hewitt on the Salem News Channel, in which he suggested that the Pontiff was “endangering the lives of many Catholics” through his opposition to a war with Iran.
Trump added: “But I guess if it’s up to the pope, he thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,”
Pope Leo has continued to defend himself and voice his opposition to a war with Iran, despite the barrage of attacks leveled against him by the President.
On Wednesday, the Pope stated: “If anyone wishes to criticize me for making the voice of the Gospel heard, let them do so based on the truth; for the Church has, for years, consistently affirmed its opposition to any nuclear weapons—of that there is no doubt.” He added: “All I hope is to be heard, out of respect for the value of the Word of God.”
