President Trump faced a groundswell of criticism from Christians across the political spectrum for his social-media posts attacking Pope Leo XIV and depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure.
Reporter: Did you post that picture of yourself depicted as Jesus Christ?
Trump: It wasn't a depiction. I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor.
How many doctors has anyone seen dressed in a flowing white toga swaddled in a red cape? 🤣
I'm not religious, but Pope Leo is a decent human being who has compassion for others. He has more good and godliness in his pinky than Trump has in his entire cabinet!
Pope Leo: [preaches what Jesus preached]
Trump supporters: "THE POPE HAS GONE WOKE!
NOT a single person that uses "woke" as an insult has ever defined what woke means to them. And if by "Woke", they mean someone who is aware of the challenges and obstacles that so many people face while trying to live their lives, then I'm proud to be called "Woke".
That’s why I love wearing this "Stay Woke" t-shirt everywhere I go 👇
Trump telling Pope Leo what to do is the next stage of Trump's blasphemy. He believes we live in a Trump-centric universe where everything revolves around him. The MOST immoral man EVER to occupy the Oval Office has the balls of a burglar to declare that the selection of Leo as Pope had anything to do with the Trump presidency. It's 25th Amendment time!
I get that but do we know how the white Christian nationalists are reacting because they made Trump their savior and now they have to listen to humane behavior, honesty, fairness and none of those look like their savior
Pope Leo shows us that true faith is powered by love, caring, giving, compassion, and kindness, not by anger, self-interest, selfishness, cruelty, and hate...which is what powers Trump. Pope Leo calls us to be better people and a better country, while Trump is actively destroying our country and our planet.
I hated that Texas had to choose between Talarico (whom I like) and Crockett (who is incredible!), but I was ultimately glad that Talarico won exactly b/c of things like this.
Again, the Texas Lege--who messed up Dallas County to hurt Crockett--may have shot themselves in the foot. Too bad, eh?
Could be wrong but intuitively feel that Pope Leo welcomes everyone under his umbrella who believes in humanity and doing unto others as Jesus Christ would have us do.
Not Catholic but feel very in step with and support Pope Leo as many people do across the world.
His universal love for humanity is for all of us - we should embrace it and stand up for it - and stand up for him and speak out now.
I'm Episcopalian. Remember Bishop Budde calling Trump out in the National Cathedral, begging him to show mercy to trans kids who were afraid they were in danger? Trump responded by calling her a "so-called Bishop". Our diocesan Bishop here in AL said she agreed with what the Bishop did, but not the way she did it. This seemed to satisfy those of us who thought asking for mercy was OK, while those who disagreed just continued to disagree. But here's the thing: We've learned to leave our politics outside when we worship together. And when a Presiding Bishop (remember Michael Curry) marches down the street with a crowd demanding restorative justice, we're reminded that we KNOW the answer to "What would Jesus do?" I am so glad to see the RCC doing the same. Who knows? Maybe not all Protestants like the idea of Holy War.
I’m not sure exactly what you mean because the Pope is the titular head of the RCC, the Bishop of Rome, and depending on who you ask, the Vicar of Christ on earth. So in effect, the voice of Christianity. And although all Christians don’t agree with each other, we can at least agree that when the Pope speaks, the world listens. (Or should listen!)
No offense, Mike. I love your substack and listen to you often. However, lets build our world through grace and comfort and compassion. You and many other millions of people know he is deranged and a fearful narcissist that is like no other human being.
I am not asking you to stop writing about your viewpoints. NEVER STOP.
Please add thoughts and messages that there are millions of people:
doing the right thing, with examples.
who are raising themselves above this dangerous mindset
who are solidifying higher consciousness with others
and who are loving and kind and creative and peaceful and helpful and human
YES, like doing what we can to see that the 2026 elections turn the tide. Please consider writing postcards to encourage voters with BlueWavePostcards.org!!! They are quick to do with short, encouraging handwritten part plus each card has a URL with all the info a voter needs including to reg, to apply for vote-by-mail, early voting, & full election pamphlet. Even children can experience the joy of connecting and working to change things for the better here (and that helps around the world ).
The “Christians” who support Trump typify Republicans in general, but with a twist. The sole purpose of the Republican Party is to coddle an in-group of wealthy, prosperous people by draining off wealth generated by laboring wretches. The Christian Dominionists demand a ruling place at the table of privilege due to their adoption of a label, backed by the willingness to commit crimes of violence. It was almost inevitable such a group from among “the great unwashed” would become the Republican vanguard. Their creed served as both sword and shield for America’s prime oppressive political movement for decades. So they demand as their due the throne at the head of the table.
If they win their way, it’s goodbye to 600 years of human achievement, at least in the USA. Once their narrow, punitive dogmatism subdues empirical observation and endeavor, as the computers and cell phones wear out and the rest of the world unites to quarantine the social contagion, Americans will be, indeed, “left behind.”
Like you, Mike, I have a complicated relationship with my faith. I’m a practicing Buddhist for 25+ years—with 13 of those years being active as an Episcopalian. I’m sort of transitioning back as a Buddhist, probably because of the state of the world. Widely attributed to the 14th Dalai Llama: "Don’t try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are.” That philosophy is appropriate for any religion—but, sadly, I don’t see it as much in my Episcopalian church. I have, however, read the Bible (and, of course, the Lotus Sutra) and it never ceases to amaze me: If any of the so called “good Christians (of MAGA) read the Sermon on the Mount (New Testament) they would also read the 8 Beatitudes. Christ was very, very clear about his stand on non-violence and simplicity. At leas it was clear to me.
Eloquent and authentic evaluation of what faith in politics is and isn't.
It is sad as well as infuriating to see the President so immeshed in his own need to avenge anyone who dares to disagree with him that he makes himself, the Kings Fool!
Thank you for your words. I as well think how Trump is acting and has said about Pope Leo is so wrong Trump is scared, truly scared, he knows that what Pope Leo says is true but he has to be the winner and in order to do that he’s trying to create a giant smear campaign on the Pope. He’s hoping that the MAGA maniacs will be too afraid to stand up to him so will instead spread his smear campaign. But the rest of humanity not only in the US but the rest of the world will be glad to see our Pope standing up for what is right. They will become more moral in their convictions and become more fearless to stand up to injustice. Pope Leo is our guiding light to guide the way.
There is so much I agree with in this column of yours, Mike, but there’s also so much that I disagree with.
Here is a major point of disagreement: “ Because when you compare that to Donald Trump, there’s no real evidence of any grounding in faith beyond himself.” quite the opposite. What you have with Donald Trump is a malignant narcissist who has never been told no in his entire life, who is used to getting what he wants simply by being a major asshole. He is someone who is incredibly insecure. It’s why he posted a picture of himself as Jesus Christ, for Christ sake. It’s why he constantly puts down far better men than he could ever be. That’s why he floated the idea of changing the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Trump. It’s why he renamed the Kennedy Center.
He has no faith in himself. And he has a lifetime of experience including at least six bankruptcies and failed marriages to confirm that.
Here is a place where we are in total agreement: “ Not just between two individuals, but between two visions of what faith in public life looks like. One is rooted in power—using religion as a tool to justify dominance, exclusion, and control.” religion, at least the Abrahamic religions, HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT POWER. And also money, and religious dominion. And in the age of Trump, revenge on every single person or group that challenges that religious Dominion. The evangelicals that support this blasphemy, or look the other way, are all about power. Of course, I’m an atheist, so I think all religion is blasphemy. But in the last 50 years, American religion on this side of the pond, and militant Islam have become more and more and more about power over everyone, using religion to justify it.
This is why our first amendment no longer serves us. I absolutely believe that everyone should have the right to believe whatever they wish. But purely theological concerns have absolutely no place in the civil law that governs everyone. The Republican Party and the evangelical/Radtrad
Catholic political movements have done everything they can to erase that line of separation. This has been the case for the Republican Party ever since Anita Bryant raised her well-coiffed reptilian snout above the swamps of Florida.
And it needs to end. The war on gay people and the current war on transgender people shows the absolute worst of what happens when political and monetary absolutists use their religion as a convenient Shield to accrue power and money over other people. How many transgender kids and how many gay kids are going to commit suicide because of the messages coming from the government at the behest of religious extremists?
You wrote:” Because for too long, Democrats have been hesitant to talk about faith in public life, ceding that ground entirely to the right. And in doing so, we’ve allowed a narrow, often distorted version of Christianity to define what faith in politics looks like.”
I’m going to half disagree with you here. Plenty of Democrats talk about faith: James Talerico and Pete Buttigieg are two who talk openly about the intersection of faith and politics. There have been many more. What has been lacking is a strong voice in favor of a complete separation of church and state. Again, purely theological concerns have absolutely no place in the civil law that governs everyone in a secular democracy.
Like many gay people, I don’t really have any big issue with religion itself, even though I think it’s nonsense. But I absolutely object to someone’s narrow interpretation of a holy text 2000 to 3000 years old being inserted into the civil law. Whatever these texts might possibly say on the subject of gay people, at least as it may have been understood by people 2000 to 3000 years ago in a world vastly different from ours in terms of knowledge, compassion, society, law, morality, and culture…
Simply has no place in our modern world. And this is where I have to disagree with the pope, because he thinks it does. Believe whatever you like, Leo, and I simply don’t care. But keep it the hell out of my life and the life of millions of people like me. Clean up your own thousand-year-old child molestation problem, and stop blaming it on people like me.
the same thing goes for the evangelicals. It demonstrates their complete moral corruption, as they continue to pretend that gay people, drag queens, and transgender people are the threat to children, when it is actually the clergy and the institutional corruption that protects them.
It is wonderful to hear someone on the liberal side talk about the importance of faith and why the democrats need to not just start talking about it but owning it. Our values are rooted in faith. I understand those who do not like the church but this is bigger than institutions, this is about what we stand for.
Dear Mike, I'm embarrassed to be writing this, but I would like to go to a Catholic Church. There is one several blocks away. What do I do? What do I wear?
Actually, you can just go! Some people go in "Sunday Best" and some wear jeans! If you want to speak to someone first, you could start by talking to someone who attends that church, or you could actually call the church...there should be a number on its site.
Sunday Mass, as service is called in the Catholic Church, has a structure that is the same anywhere in the world in every language. The first half is readings from scripture and a homily from the priest. There are prayers and songs intermixed. The second half is basically a re-enactment of the last supper. The priest says prayers to truly convert the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. As a visitor, you shouldn’t go up receive Communion, as we call it, until you are baptized and then learn our faith. You can go up with crossed arms and receive a blessing from the priest. I encourage you to go to Mass. There is almost always a bulletin distributed after Mass with the goings-on of the parish. Bible study. Adult initiation into the church. Others. You can learn about that parish through that or the website. Parishes are different. Different priests. Different communities. It’s sometimes a good idea to “try before you buy”. A community a little distance away may be more of a fit for you. You should always feel welcome and I you aren’t, try another parish. Blessings!
President Trump faced a groundswell of criticism from Christians across the political spectrum for his social-media posts attacking Pope Leo XIV and depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure.
That is so disgusting the devil dressed up as Jesus GOD HELP US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He took it down saying he thought it was him as a Doctor ! REALLY???
Liar, Liar...what's new?
Don’t doctors have wings?
I'm, a retired Internist .... I flew the coop and my wings have vanished.
Reporter: Did you post that picture of yourself depicted as Jesus Christ?
Trump: It wasn't a depiction. I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor.
How many doctors has anyone seen dressed in a flowing white toga swaddled in a red cape? 🤣
I'm not religious, but Pope Leo is a decent human being who has compassion for others. He has more good and godliness in his pinky than Trump has in his entire cabinet!
Pope Leo: [preaches what Jesus preached]
Trump supporters: "THE POPE HAS GONE WOKE!
NOT a single person that uses "woke" as an insult has ever defined what woke means to them. And if by "Woke", they mean someone who is aware of the challenges and obstacles that so many people face while trying to live their lives, then I'm proud to be called "Woke".
That’s why I love wearing this "Stay Woke" t-shirt everywhere I go 👇
https://libtees.dashery.com/products/42888136-stay-woke-t-shirt
Trump telling Pope Leo what to do is the next stage of Trump's blasphemy. He believes we live in a Trump-centric universe where everything revolves around him. The MOST immoral man EVER to occupy the Oval Office has the balls of a burglar to declare that the selection of Leo as Pope had anything to do with the Trump presidency. It's 25th Amendment time!
Yes. He even went so far as to say that Leo" wouln't be Pope had it not been for him (Trump)". It always has to be about him!
Cavemen are disgusted by Trump for the decline of 21st century humanity!
I get that but do we know how the white Christian nationalists are reacting because they made Trump their savior and now they have to listen to humane behavior, honesty, fairness and none of those look like their savior
They are coming for the Catholics which compose about 20% of America's electorate. Who will they come fo next?
Pope Leo shows us that true faith is powered by love, caring, giving, compassion, and kindness, not by anger, self-interest, selfishness, cruelty, and hate...which is what powers Trump. Pope Leo calls us to be better people and a better country, while Trump is actively destroying our country and our planet.
This might hand Talarico the Senate seat in Texas
I hated that Texas had to choose between Talarico (whom I like) and Crockett (who is incredible!), but I was ultimately glad that Talarico won exactly b/c of things like this.
Again, the Texas Lege--who messed up Dallas County to hurt Crockett--may have shot themselves in the foot. Too bad, eh?
Could be wrong but intuitively feel that Pope Leo welcomes everyone under his umbrella who believes in humanity and doing unto others as Jesus Christ would have us do.
Not Catholic but feel very in step with and support Pope Leo as many people do across the world.
His universal love for humanity is for all of us - we should embrace it and stand up for it - and stand up for him and speak out now.
This is so brilliantly articulated and heart felt. As an observant progressive Jew, it reflects my perspective on power and faith beautifully.
I'm Episcopalian. Remember Bishop Budde calling Trump out in the National Cathedral, begging him to show mercy to trans kids who were afraid they were in danger? Trump responded by calling her a "so-called Bishop". Our diocesan Bishop here in AL said she agreed with what the Bishop did, but not the way she did it. This seemed to satisfy those of us who thought asking for mercy was OK, while those who disagreed just continued to disagree. But here's the thing: We've learned to leave our politics outside when we worship together. And when a Presiding Bishop (remember Michael Curry) marches down the street with a crowd demanding restorative justice, we're reminded that we KNOW the answer to "What would Jesus do?" I am so glad to see the RCC doing the same. Who knows? Maybe not all Protestants like the idea of Holy War.
Where you also slightly offended that the essay lumped Christians instead of saying the Pope is Roman catholic?
I’m not sure exactly what you mean because the Pope is the titular head of the RCC, the Bishop of Rome, and depending on who you ask, the Vicar of Christ on earth. So in effect, the voice of Christianity. And although all Christians don’t agree with each other, we can at least agree that when the Pope speaks, the world listens. (Or should listen!)
No offense, Mike. I love your substack and listen to you often. However, lets build our world through grace and comfort and compassion. You and many other millions of people know he is deranged and a fearful narcissist that is like no other human being.
I am not asking you to stop writing about your viewpoints. NEVER STOP.
Please add thoughts and messages that there are millions of people:
doing the right thing, with examples.
who are raising themselves above this dangerous mindset
who are solidifying higher consciousness with others
and who are loving and kind and creative and peaceful and helpful and human
YES, like doing what we can to see that the 2026 elections turn the tide. Please consider writing postcards to encourage voters with BlueWavePostcards.org!!! They are quick to do with short, encouraging handwritten part plus each card has a URL with all the info a voter needs including to reg, to apply for vote-by-mail, early voting, & full election pamphlet. Even children can experience the joy of connecting and working to change things for the better here (and that helps around the world ).
Thank you Jacquelyn , Rosanne and Gwen.a
The “Christians” who support Trump typify Republicans in general, but with a twist. The sole purpose of the Republican Party is to coddle an in-group of wealthy, prosperous people by draining off wealth generated by laboring wretches. The Christian Dominionists demand a ruling place at the table of privilege due to their adoption of a label, backed by the willingness to commit crimes of violence. It was almost inevitable such a group from among “the great unwashed” would become the Republican vanguard. Their creed served as both sword and shield for America’s prime oppressive political movement for decades. So they demand as their due the throne at the head of the table.
If they win their way, it’s goodbye to 600 years of human achievement, at least in the USA. Once their narrow, punitive dogmatism subdues empirical observation and endeavor, as the computers and cell phones wear out and the rest of the world unites to quarantine the social contagion, Americans will be, indeed, “left behind.”
Like you, Mike, I have a complicated relationship with my faith. I’m a practicing Buddhist for 25+ years—with 13 of those years being active as an Episcopalian. I’m sort of transitioning back as a Buddhist, probably because of the state of the world. Widely attributed to the 14th Dalai Llama: "Don’t try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are.” That philosophy is appropriate for any religion—but, sadly, I don’t see it as much in my Episcopalian church. I have, however, read the Bible (and, of course, the Lotus Sutra) and it never ceases to amaze me: If any of the so called “good Christians (of MAGA) read the Sermon on the Mount (New Testament) they would also read the 8 Beatitudes. Christ was very, very clear about his stand on non-violence and simplicity. At leas it was clear to me.
Eloquent and authentic evaluation of what faith in politics is and isn't.
It is sad as well as infuriating to see the President so immeshed in his own need to avenge anyone who dares to disagree with him that he makes himself, the Kings Fool!
He said it was supposed to be him as a doctor… with no brains 🤭🤭🤭
Was outrage more than normal for him to backtrack?
I believe there was outrage!! As it should be!
Something really good!!!😊
Thank you for your words. I as well think how Trump is acting and has said about Pope Leo is so wrong Trump is scared, truly scared, he knows that what Pope Leo says is true but he has to be the winner and in order to do that he’s trying to create a giant smear campaign on the Pope. He’s hoping that the MAGA maniacs will be too afraid to stand up to him so will instead spread his smear campaign. But the rest of humanity not only in the US but the rest of the world will be glad to see our Pope standing up for what is right. They will become more moral in their convictions and become more fearless to stand up to injustice. Pope Leo is our guiding light to guide the way.
There is so much I agree with in this column of yours, Mike, but there’s also so much that I disagree with.
Here is a major point of disagreement: “ Because when you compare that to Donald Trump, there’s no real evidence of any grounding in faith beyond himself.” quite the opposite. What you have with Donald Trump is a malignant narcissist who has never been told no in his entire life, who is used to getting what he wants simply by being a major asshole. He is someone who is incredibly insecure. It’s why he posted a picture of himself as Jesus Christ, for Christ sake. It’s why he constantly puts down far better men than he could ever be. That’s why he floated the idea of changing the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Trump. It’s why he renamed the Kennedy Center.
He has no faith in himself. And he has a lifetime of experience including at least six bankruptcies and failed marriages to confirm that.
Here is a place where we are in total agreement: “ Not just between two individuals, but between two visions of what faith in public life looks like. One is rooted in power—using religion as a tool to justify dominance, exclusion, and control.” religion, at least the Abrahamic religions, HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT POWER. And also money, and religious dominion. And in the age of Trump, revenge on every single person or group that challenges that religious Dominion. The evangelicals that support this blasphemy, or look the other way, are all about power. Of course, I’m an atheist, so I think all religion is blasphemy. But in the last 50 years, American religion on this side of the pond, and militant Islam have become more and more and more about power over everyone, using religion to justify it.
This is why our first amendment no longer serves us. I absolutely believe that everyone should have the right to believe whatever they wish. But purely theological concerns have absolutely no place in the civil law that governs everyone. The Republican Party and the evangelical/Radtrad
Catholic political movements have done everything they can to erase that line of separation. This has been the case for the Republican Party ever since Anita Bryant raised her well-coiffed reptilian snout above the swamps of Florida.
And it needs to end. The war on gay people and the current war on transgender people shows the absolute worst of what happens when political and monetary absolutists use their religion as a convenient Shield to accrue power and money over other people. How many transgender kids and how many gay kids are going to commit suicide because of the messages coming from the government at the behest of religious extremists?
You wrote:” Because for too long, Democrats have been hesitant to talk about faith in public life, ceding that ground entirely to the right. And in doing so, we’ve allowed a narrow, often distorted version of Christianity to define what faith in politics looks like.”
I’m going to half disagree with you here. Plenty of Democrats talk about faith: James Talerico and Pete Buttigieg are two who talk openly about the intersection of faith and politics. There have been many more. What has been lacking is a strong voice in favor of a complete separation of church and state. Again, purely theological concerns have absolutely no place in the civil law that governs everyone in a secular democracy.
Like many gay people, I don’t really have any big issue with religion itself, even though I think it’s nonsense. But I absolutely object to someone’s narrow interpretation of a holy text 2000 to 3000 years old being inserted into the civil law. Whatever these texts might possibly say on the subject of gay people, at least as it may have been understood by people 2000 to 3000 years ago in a world vastly different from ours in terms of knowledge, compassion, society, law, morality, and culture…
Simply has no place in our modern world. And this is where I have to disagree with the pope, because he thinks it does. Believe whatever you like, Leo, and I simply don’t care. But keep it the hell out of my life and the life of millions of people like me. Clean up your own thousand-year-old child molestation problem, and stop blaming it on people like me.
the same thing goes for the evangelicals. It demonstrates their complete moral corruption, as they continue to pretend that gay people, drag queens, and transgender people are the threat to children, when it is actually the clergy and the institutional corruption that protects them.
It is wonderful to hear someone on the liberal side talk about the importance of faith and why the democrats need to not just start talking about it but owning it. Our values are rooted in faith. I understand those who do not like the church but this is bigger than institutions, this is about what we stand for.
Dear Mike, I'm embarrassed to be writing this, but I would like to go to a Catholic Church. There is one several blocks away. What do I do? What do I wear?
Actually, you can just go! Some people go in "Sunday Best" and some wear jeans! If you want to speak to someone first, you could start by talking to someone who attends that church, or you could actually call the church...there should be a number on its site.
Thank you!
Happy to help! I'm sure they'll be happy to meet you.
If you are sincere, walk in; introduce your self to the priest after mass. Ask the ushers for info. Find the church online and find out more....
Sunday Mass, as service is called in the Catholic Church, has a structure that is the same anywhere in the world in every language. The first half is readings from scripture and a homily from the priest. There are prayers and songs intermixed. The second half is basically a re-enactment of the last supper. The priest says prayers to truly convert the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. As a visitor, you shouldn’t go up receive Communion, as we call it, until you are baptized and then learn our faith. You can go up with crossed arms and receive a blessing from the priest. I encourage you to go to Mass. There is almost always a bulletin distributed after Mass with the goings-on of the parish. Bible study. Adult initiation into the church. Others. You can learn about that parish through that or the website. Parishes are different. Different priests. Different communities. It’s sometimes a good idea to “try before you buy”. A community a little distance away may be more of a fit for you. You should always feel welcome and I you aren’t, try another parish. Blessings!
I'll add that there are other very beautiful sacraments to learn about.