Overview
- Trump has continued public criticism of Pope Leo XIV over the pontiff’s stance on the war involving Iran and on Iran’s possible pursuit of nuclear weapons.
- Pope Leo XIV said he is not afraid of the Trump administration and vowed to keep speaking out against war while urging dialogue and multilateral diplomacy.
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called Trump’s remarks about the Pope unacceptable and said it is proper for the Church to call for peace and condemn war.
- Trump later said he was shocked by Meloni and faulted her approach to Iran and NATO, a dispute that follows Italy’s refusal to let the U.S. use a base in Sicily for operations tied to the Iran conflict.
- After Viktor Orbán’s election loss in Hungary, Trump said he was not concerned and praised incoming leader Péter Madyar, as Vice President J.D. Vance defended earlier U.S. support for Orbán and analysts reported European far-right parties are rethinking overt alignment with Trump.