Vance defends Trump's controversial Vatican post: Just a joke
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
In the United States, officials attempted to defend Donald Trump over a controversial post about the Vatican. In particular, Vice President JD Vance described it as a joke during the program Special Report on Fox News.
"Unfiltered" communication as a style
Vance defended the way the Trump administration communicates with the public. According to him, the president’s social media posts are an “unfiltered” way to convey his position directly to people, without intermediaries.
He described Trump’s post about Pope Leo XIV as a joke and said he saw nothing offensive in it.
Immigration: no concessions
Regarding criticism from the pontiff, Vance gave a clear response: the US will not change its immigration policy under external pressure.
According to him, the administration makes decisions based on the interests of American citizens, not on remarks from foreign leaders, including the head of the Catholic Church.
What led up to this
The scandal erupted on April 12, when Trump published a sharp post on his social network Truth Social targeting Pope Leo XIV.
He called the pontiff “weak on crime” and “terrible on foreign policy,” and also claimed that he “does not like a pope who is ready to give Iran nuclear weapons.”
Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV responded in a restrained manner. As previously reported, the pontiff said he is not afraid of pressure from the White House and will continue to speak out against war.
At the same time, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni publicly condemned Trump’s remarks.
She called the statements directed at the Holy Father “unacceptable” and stressed that the Pope has every right to call for peace and condemn any war.
