The New Pope's Connection To Trump's Biggest Enemies Has To Sting

Of all the congratulations that Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, has received since he was elected the head of the Catholic Church, Donald Trump's was likely not high on his list of expected praise. "Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope," Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday. "What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country." Trump's excitement may end there, though. As it turns out, Leo has connections to some of the president's major adversaries.

Chicagoans are celebrating, not only because the new pontiff is an American, but he's native to the Illinois city. Chicago's bragging rights are well-deserved, considering it's one of the few cities to have a pope and a U.S. president call it home. What you may have not known about former President Barack Obama is that he moved to Chicago in 1985 when he began his career, eventually serving as an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004. Pope Leo grew up in a suburb near Chicago and attended school and church on the city's South Side. Obama seems to already be making a stronger allyship with Pope Leo, posting to X (formerly Twitter) Thursday, to say: "Michelle and I send our congratulations to a fellow Chicagoan, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. This is a historic day for the United States, and we will pray for him as he begins the sacred work of leading the Catholic Church and setting an example for so many, regardless of faith."

Before joining the Order of Saint Augustine, Pope Leo graduated from Villanova University with a math degree in 1977. Former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden is also an alumna, as she received an M.A. in English from Villanova in 1991. In a recording of Jill's commencement speech for the 2014 graduating class of Villanova, the newly appointed pope can be seen right behind the podium, donning his velvet doctoral regalia and grinning as Jill addresses the crowd. When an X user posted a clip from the speech, another user quipped in the comments: "We should not share this. It will really upset velveeta voldemort and MAGA," referring to Donald Trump and his supporters.

Trump and Leo XIV's political relationship was likely doomed from the start. The pope has already been critical of the American president and his administration, which he voiced on social media. Leo reposted an X post condemning Trump and El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele for their flippant attitude about Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whom ICE claimed was an MS-13 gang member and mistakenly deported to an infamous Salvadoran megaprison. He even embarrassed JD Vance on X. Leo's brother, John Prevost, also revealed to CNN that Leo "sees the United States is headed in the wrong direction in terms of immigration. That this is a total injustice" (via X). According to The New York Times, the pontiff was laudably supportive of Venezuelan immigrants during his time in Peru.