The pope & Trump: A match not made in heaven

<p><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/04/18/trump-president-pope-leo-conflict-church/89447102007/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">President Donald Trump has been clashing with Pope Leo XIV</a> for weeks now in a rare and increasingly public dispute between a U.S. president and the head of the Catholic Church. The pope has warned against the escalating violence around the world and called for peace and diplomacy. But Trump has pushed back hard, going so far as to call the pope “weak on crime” and falsely suggesting that he supports Iran having nuclear weapons. USA TODAY World Affairs Correspondent Kim Hjelmgaard joins The Excerpt to share his insights.</p><p>Let us know what you think of this episode by sending an email to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:podcasts@usatoday.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">podcasts@usatoday.com</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>Episode transcript&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/04/21/pope-leo-xiv-says-he-is-not-looking-to-debate-president-trump-the-excerpt/89715878007/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">available here</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>