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TheExcerpt 20260421 Pope & Trump
April 21, 2026
Posted 3 hours ago by
President Donald Trump has been clashing with Pope Leo XIV for weeks now in a rare and increasingly public dispute between a U.S. president and the head of the Catholic Church. The pope has warned against the escalating violence around the world and called for peace and diplomacy. But Trump has pushed back hard, going so far as to call the pope “weak on crime” and falsely suggesting that he supports Iran having nuclear weapons.
USA TODAY World Affairs Correspondent Kim Hjelmgaard joins The Excerpt to share his insights. Read more: https://tinyurl.com/3nx3545y Sign up for our newsletter for the day's top stories, from sports to movies to politics to world events: https://profile.usatoday.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/
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