Donald Trump's unhinged 24 hours as he ramps up Pope beef and plots ugly monument to himself

Donald Trump's unhinged 24 hours as he ramps up Pope beef and plots ugly monument to himselfI guess it's a relief for the stakes of one of Donald Trump's feuds to be ecumenical rather than existential. Here are the latest reports from the front line of the Vatican invasion, and more of his nonsense from the last day or soCommentsNewsopinionMikey Smith Deputy Political Editor22:13, 15 Apr 2026View 4 ImagesTrump had another pop at the Pope(Image: AFP via Getty Images) If you thought Donald Trump's feud with the Pope was a one day and done thing, you're going to be very disappointed. ‌ Unless you, like me, are really, really enjoying it, in which case you'll be delighted - because it's still very much rumbling. I guess it's a relief for the stakes of one of Trump's beeves to be ecumenical rather than existential. It's highly unlikely the spat will result in boots on the ground in the Vatican City. Neither has the Holy See, as far as we're aware, nuclear ambitions and a stockpile of ballistic missiles. It takes me back to the days of 2012 when he was just being incredibly rude about Kristen Stewart and stanning Robert Pattinson. A simpler time when Trump's words were far less likely to result in actual civilian deaths. On a separate note, it looks like he's actually going to build that ugly triumphal arch thing. ‌ Meanwhile in Trumpworld ‌ Trump lashed out again at the PopeJD Vance told the Pope to butt out of ...theologyThe bishops were having absolutely none of thatTrump posted another questionable imageThe Pope was all like everybody be chillThe Arc De Trump is onHere's what you need to know 1. Trump had another pop at the Pope overnightTrump went on another of his late-night posting sprees overnight, and was clearly not done with his feud with the Bishop of Rome. Trump posted “Not good!!!” in response to a post citing social media posts by Pope Leo before he was pope that were critical of Trump. And he wrote: “Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable.” ‌ 2. He also posted another questionable pictureTrump posted another AI slop picture on Truth Socal. It didn't show him AS Jesus Christ this time, but it did appear to depict him as a good friend. The picture, which shows a bearded, long haired caucasian man who presumably represents Jesus, giving a man who looks plausibly like Donald Trump a hug - one arm around his shoulder, the other on his chest. Both men have their eyes closed and their foreheads are touching. It absolutely screams "OK, maybe I'm not Jesus Christ. But he is my boyfriend." Content cannot be displayed without consentThe original post, which Trump screenshotted and posted to Truth Social, reads: "I was never a very religious man...but doesn't it seem, with all these satanic, demonic, child sacrificing monsters being exposed...that God might be playing his Trump card!" Alongside the image, Trump posted: "The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!! President DJT" I don't think it's the radical left you need to worry about, Mr President. ‌ 3. Vance tells the Pope to butt out of theologyView 4 ImagesVance is allegedly one of MAGA's big thinkers(Image: Gage Skidmore/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock) Not to be outdone, JD Vance, who has been a Catholic for seven years, told the Pope to stay in his lane and "be careful" when talking about...theology. Which is kind of the Pope's one job, but let's let him develop the point. He argued the Pope, who has said Jesus "is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs," had failed to think about World War II and the concept of "just war". Demonstrating once again that has is about as deep a thinker as a precocious Year 7 who has seen a few Adam Curtis documentaries, Vance said: "Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis? Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated Holocaust camps and liberated those, those innocent people, you know, those who had survived the Holocaust? I certainly think the answer is yes." Content cannot be displayed without consent‌ "Now we can, of course, have disagreements about whether this or that conflict is just, but I think in the way that it's important for the vice president of the United States to be careful when I talk about matters of public policy, I think it's very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology," he added. "But I think one of the issues here is that if you're going to opine on matters of theology, you've got to be careful. You've got to make sure it's anchored in the truth, and that's one of the things that I try to do, and it's certainly something I would expect from the clergy, whether they're Catholic or Protestant 4. The Bishops have entered the chatAmerica's Bishops were having absolutely none of that. Bishop James Massa, The chairman of the U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Doctrine said the Catholic Church has long taught that "a nation can only legitimately take up the sword 'in self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed.'" That, said Massa, is the basis of Pope Leo's comment that God "does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.'" The Pope is "not merely offering opinions on theology, he is preaching the Gospel and exercising his ministry as the Vicar of Christ," Massa said. 5. We finally found a Trump post that Mike Johnson has seenHouse Speaker Mike Johnson defended Trump and Vance's swipes at Pope Leo. This in itself is somewhat momentous, given questions to Johnson about the President's outbursts are usually met with the phrase "I haven't seen it, I can't comment." Johnson said: "If you wade into political waters, I think you should expect some political response. The Pope's received some of that." Johnson insisted he's not one to criticise clerics or religious leaders, but he leaned into what he called the just war doctrine when it comes to the US military action against Iran. "The stakes are so high," he said. "I don't want to engage in a theological debate with the Pope," he said. "These are matters that people of good faith and good sense can debate." Not one for him then. ‌ 6. Pope Leo doubles downPope Leo doubled down insisting that the message "the world needs to hear today” is one of peace and dialogue. Leo drew attention to his visit Tuesday to Annaba, the ancient city of Hippo where St. Augustine, the theological and philosophical giant of the early church, lived as a bishop for more than 30 years. "His writings, his teaching, his spirituality, his invitation to search for God and to search for truth is something that is very much needed today, a message that is very real for all of us today as believers in Jesus Christ, but for all people," Leo said. By going to Hippo, Leo said that he wanted to offer the church and the world a vision that St. Augustine offers in terms of seeking "unity among all peoples and respect for all people in spite of the differences." He recalled that the vast majority of Algerians are Muslim, but that they respect and honor St. Augustine as "one of the great sons of their land." Such an attitude, he said, helps to build bridges between Christians and Muslims and promote dialogue. 7. The Arc De Trump is ONView 4 ImagesEnormous and gaudy, Trump wants to build a big arch in Washington(Image: Pool/ABACA/Shutterstock) At the end of a relatively tedious press briefing, Karoline Leavitt had a little treat for the world. From beneath the podium, she produced new artist impressions of Trump's "Triumphal Arc" - or as it's become known, the Arc De Trump. Plans, which Leavitt initially held upside-down, have been submitted, she said, for the building of the gaudy monstrosity, set to blight the landscape of Washington DC. At 250 feet tall, the white and gold arch will be taller than Paris' Arc De Triomphe and almost half as tall as the Washington Monument - the tallest structure in Washington DC. The design is for a white marble arch, topped with a gold winged figure holding a torch and flanked by eagles and lions. The inscriptions read "One Nation Under God" and "Liberty and Justice for All". Article continues belowView 4 ImagesKaroline Leavitt initially held the drawing upside down(Image: AP) It's planned to be built in the middle of a roundabout next to a bridge over the Potomac River, round the back of the Lincoln Memorial - over which it will tower, being twice the height of the 99 ft structure. Some have noted a potential problem with the location and scale of the Arc. When the Lincoln Memorial was built, it was placed with clear line of sight to the Capitol Building, so Lincoln would always be able to keep an eye on Congress. So important was this vision that when they came to build the World War II memorial, they sank it several feet into the ground to preserve the sightline. Lincoln was also built with line of sight to the former house of confederate traitor Robert E Lee, across the river to the east at Arlington National Cemetery. That sightline would be blocked entirely by the Arc. Some have also noted similarities - in scale and ambition more than anything - to the abortive designs of Nazi architect Albert Speer for a Triumphal Arch in Berlin.