Fox News host Sean Hannity has joined the MAGA pile-on against Pope Leo, accusing the pontiff of feigning “selective moral outrage” and suggesting he is a “run-of-the-mill, Trump-hating Democrat” without moral clarity.
In an extraordinary rant hours after the president sought to downplay his feud with the Vatican, the Trump ally also said he should interview the pope, insisting he was “uniquely qualified” because he went to a Catholic school and once studied Latin theology.
Speaking on his cable network show on Thursday night, Hannity took aim at Pope Leo for saying that God does not bless conflict, nor side with those who “drop bombs.”
“Well, first, that is simply not biblically accurate,” he insisted.
“The Bible contains over 400 references to war, frequently depicting God as authorizing, commanding, intervening in battles like one that we all know, the battle between David and Goliath. Why is the pope twisting religion to specifically attack only President Trump and the U.S.?”
“Why did he recently meet with top Obama advisor David Axelrod and the far-left governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker?” he continued, referencing past separate visits by the Democrats
“Is it because he’s a run-of-the-mill, Trump-hating Democrat that lacks moral clarity about radical Islam?”
Tensions between Trump and the Vatican escalated this week, after Trump issued a Truth Social post on Sunday accusing the American-born pope of being “weak on crime” and accusing him of catering to the “radical left.”
The pope, in turn, responded that he has “no fear” of the Trump administration and will continue to speak out against war in Iran and what he has described as a “delusion of omnipotence” driving global conflict.
The president’s attacks resulted in administration officials weighing in, including vice president JD Vance, a Catholic convert, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and MAGA evangelist Franklin Graham.
“I would hope that the President and Pope Leo can meet at some point, and that the Pope would have the opportunity to thank the President for his efforts to protect religious liberty for Catholics and people of all faiths,” said Graham, the son of famed Evangelist Billy Graham.
Trump was elected in 2024 with support from a majority of Catholic voters, but polls show his support from Catholics has dipped below 50 percent amid the war in Iran.
At the same time, Pope Leo XIV enjoys a burst of popularity across the global Church, and as more Americans—particularly Millennials and Gen Z—join the Catholic Church. This past Easter, for example, some archdioceses recorded their highest number of new Catholics in two decades.
The president sought to mitigate the backlash on Thursday by telling reporters, “I’m not fighting with him,” before claiming the pope said something he never said.
“The pope made a statement. He says Iran can have a nuclear weapon. I’d say Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump insisted.
Hannity agreed, telling his audience, “The President is correct. The Pope is wrong on so many levels.”
Earlier, on his radio show, Hannity also accused Pope Leo of feigning “selective moral outrage” and “seemingly enjoying this public fight with Donald Trump.”
“I think it’s time that he starts to get questioned. Donald Trump takes questions all the time,” he continued.
“I would like to offer myself as the person to go interview the pope. I think I’m uniquely qualified. I studied Latin, theology, went to Catholic Church for 12 years. I’d love to interview the pope.”
He added that he left the Catholic Church “in large part because of institutionalized corruption.”
