"We don't like a pope who will say it's okay to have nuclear weapons. He is a man who doesn't think we should be playing around with a country that wants nuclear weapons so they can blow up the world," Trump told reporters, adding: "I'm not a fan of Pope Leo."
Leo, the first American pope, has become increasingly vocal regarding the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran, last week condemning Trump's rhetoric and threats against the Iranian people as "truly unacceptable."
That comment was prompted by Trump's threat that "an entire civilization will die tonight" in the hours before a two-week ceasefire with Iran was reached. Both Trump and his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth invoked God in public messages during the conflict, with Hegseth framing the war efforts as divinely supported, even using biblical justifications.
Leo opposed this idea.
"Jesus is the king of peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war," he said on Palm Sunday.
"He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them," he added.
Trump's remarks about the pope on Sunday evening came shortly after he posted a similar lengthy critique of the pontiff on Truth Social.
"Pope Leo is WEAK on crime and terrible for foreign policy," Trump wrote, continuing the sentence by saying he does not want a pope who thinks it's okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons or who thinks it's "terrible that America attacked Venezuela."
Following the U.S. operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January, the pope called for respecting "the will of the Venezuelan people" and for stability to return to the country.
"I don't want a pope who criticizes the president of the United States," Trump said.
The president further claimed that Leo "was not on any list to become pope and that the Church placed him there only because he is American, thinking it would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump."
Pope Leo has previously spoken against the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
"The commitment to building a safer world without the nuclear threat must be pursued through respectful encounters and sincere dialogue to build lasting peace, based on justice, fraternity, and the common good," he said last June, while Trump was considering attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump's comments on Sunday followed shortly after CBS News' "60 Minutes" aired a story in which senior American cardinals expressed support for the pope's stance on war and his earlier opposition to the Trump administration's harsh immigration measures.
Shortly after Trump's comments, the president posted on Truth Social an image depicting him as a Christ-like figure healing a sick person, with American flags and eagles in the background.