Amid an escalating feud with President Donald Trump lashing out at the first American pope, Pope Leo XIV, and the pope promoting a pro-peace, anti-war message the president opposes, Trump is refusing to meet with the Vicar of Christ.

“I don’t think it’s necessary,” Trump declared on Thursday afternoon, despite new poll numbers that show his support among Catholics slipping after his attacks on the pontiff.

Earlier on Thursday, Pope Leo had posted to social media a message some thought was meant for the president.

“Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic, and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,” he wrote.

Asked specifically about it, Trump did not answer directly, instead telling reporters that it’s “very important that the Pope understands, very, very important…Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump also told reporters, “I’m all about the Gospel. I’m all about it as much as anybody can be!”

“I’m all about the Gospel.”

President Trump said Pope Leo XIV “can disagree with me” on Iran having a nuclear weapon in response to a question from ABC News’ Rachel Scott about the pope preaching the Gospel in his feud with Trump. https://t.co/Dx3IrFBFKh pic.twitter.com/wPdU3KL6N9

— ABC News (@ABC) April 16, 2026

READ MORE: Conservative Christian Broadcaster Slams Franklin Graham’s ‘Embarrassing’ Defense of Trump

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Conservative Christian evangelist Franklin Graham is rushing to President Donald Trump’s aid, defending an image the president posted that appeared to depict him as Jesus Christ, “bathed in divine light and clad in religious robes,” as The New York Times described, and one of the president with Jesus Christ. One conservative Christian broadcaster isn’t buying Graham’s defense.

“I do not believe President Trump would knowingly depict himself as Jesus Christ—that would certainly be inappropriate,” Graham wrote on social media on Thursday. “I’m thankful the President has made it very clear that this was not at all what he thought the AI-generated image was representing—he thought it was a doctor helping someone, and when he learned of the concerns, he immediately removed the post.”

“I think this is a lot to do about nothing,” Graham continued, noting that there were no halos, crosses, or angels in the illustration. “There is so much ill-intended speculation. I think his enemies are always foaming at the mouth at any possible opportunity to make him look bad.”

He went on to defend an image Trump also posted that appeared to show him being embraced by Christ.

READ MORE: Trump Axes Catholic Charities Funding for Migrant Kids Amid Pope Feud: Report

“I like the fact that this is a picture of Jesus whispering in his ear, or at least His hand on his shoulder, guiding him,” Graham declared. “We all need that—we all need to be listening to Jesus…Remember, President Trump didn’t draw this, he didn’t create it, he reposted it on his social media because he thought it was nice—I would have to agree.”

Graham called Trump the “most pro-Christian, pro-life president in my lifetime,” and suggested the Pope should “thank the President for his efforts to protect religious liberty for Catholics and people of all faiths.”

Erick Erickson, a conservative evangelical talk radio host and political commentator once described as the “most powerful conservative in America,” blasted Graham’s remarks.

“This is embarrassing,” he wrote in response to Graham’s post.

He was not alone in his condemnation.

“So laughable it’s sad. Sycophancy comes to the Graham name. Deeply unserious,” declared Professor Matthew Boedy, who focuses on the rhetoric of religion.

Republican former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump ally, also blasted Graham.

“Franklin Graham making excuses for Trump posting himself as Jesus is one of the worst things I’ve seen,” she wrote. “Trump posted his blasphemous picture with Satan added above him, the original picture had a soldier. If you search ‘pictures of Jesus’ most of them show Jesus in white with a red robe over his shoulders. Franklin Graham of all people, who is frequently at the WH and with Trump, should be leading Trump to be a Christian, NOT telling other Christians that Trump did nothing wrong when he committed blasphemy.”

READ MORE: Why Trump Might Want to Try to ‘Usher’ Alito Into Retirement: CNN Analysis

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Rumors have been swirling that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito might announce he is retiring at the end of this term, and while some wonder if the rumors are part of a “pressure campaign,” there are valid reasons why an Alito retirement — or one by Justice Clarence Thomas — would be beneficial to President Donald Trump.

According to CNN analysis, even though Alito, 76, and Thomas, 77, are staunch conservatives, they are near the average retirement age for Supreme Court justices. There are signs Democrats might take control of the Senate after the November midterm elections. Even if Republicans keep control, the GOP’s margin might shrink, making a confirmation battle difficult for any Trump nominee.

CNN notes that “even if Senate Democrats come up short in November, there could be a big difference between Trump nominating a justice with 53 Republican votes this year and trying to do so with 50 or 51 in the second half of his term.”

“But the president may have other reasons, apart from the confirmability factor, to try and usher things in this direction,” CNN notes.

For instance, a confirmation fight could be an election issue that Republicans could use to drive a “significantly less enthusiastic” GOP base to the polls.

READ MORE: Trump Axes Catholic Charities Funding for Migrant Kids Amid Pope Feud: Report

“There is some thought,” CNN notes, “that Democrats’ attempts to defeat Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh in the runup to the 2018 election helped the GOP win some vulnerable red-state Senate races in what was otherwise a tough election for the party.”

There are other reasons.

“Given Trump’s recent disenchantment with two of his appointees who ruled against him on the tariffs case — Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch — he would likely prefer to have some cushion to choose someone he might view as more loyal,” CNN notes.

But Trump’s legacy might be the more motivating factor for the almost 80-year-old president.

“Trump in his comments to Fox Business spoke about appointing someone who could serve for 40 years,” CNN reports. “If he replaced even one of Alito or Thomas with someone in their 40s, for example, the average age of the conservative justices would be less than 60. If he replaced both with justices in their 40s, that average age would drop into the mid-50s.”

With four or five appointments over two terms to the nation’s highest court, Trump could be among the few presidents in modern history to so fully shape the Supreme Court in their image.

“In theory, it’s two or three, they tell me,” Trump said of the number of possible nominations he might still be able to make.

“If you just read statistics, it could be two, could be three, could be one. I don’t know,” Trump told Fox Business, adding: “I’m prepared to do it.”

READ MORE: ‘Woe to Those Who Manipulate Religion’: Is the Pope Targeting Trump?

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