Stephen Colbert has weighed in on Donald Trump’s furious response to Pope Leo XIV, drawing a striking comparison in the process.
The president sparked outrage this week after posting a blistering message about Pope Leo XIV on social media, a tirade that quickly drew attention well beyond political circles — including from the late-night host.
The pontiff, who leads the Catholic Church, has publicly criticized the war in Iran and voiced opposition to elements of Trump’s policy agenda.
Trump reacted on Truth Social with a long, pointed statement aimed directly at the Pope.
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy … I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country. And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History.”
The post prompted widespread disbelief online, and Colbert soon addressed it on his show.
“According to one Italian religious historian, not even Hitler or Mussolini attacked the Pope so directly and publicly,” Colbert declared, during his April 13 episode.
“It’s never great when someone says, ‘You should really be more discreet and respectful. You know, like Hitler.’”
Colbert has frequently targeted Trump in his monologues over the years, and the feeling appears to be mutual.
Last year, Trump used Truth Social to lash out at Colbert after it was reported that The Late Show had been cancelled.
Meanwhile, Pope Leo — the first US-born pontiff — responded on Monday, saying he had ‘no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly’.
He said: “I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems,” the pontiff told reporters on a flight to Algiers.
“Too many people are suffering in the world today,” he said. “Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.”
Separately, the wider geopolitical backdrop remains tense. In February, the US and Israel carried out a wave of strikes on Iran in an operation described as ‘Operation Epic Fury’.
Pressure has also built around the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route, after disruption tied to Iranian actions affected maritime traffic.
On April 8, the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire. Iran had rejected a draft plan that proposed a 45-day phased ceasefire and instead put forward its own 10-point proposal for a peace agreement.
Now, the US is blockading maritime traffic moving in and out of Iranian ports via the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial corridor for global oil exports.