The slogan of a recently inaugurated U.S. president was: ”

Fight!

The other presented himself to the world using his initial public statement as pope:

Peace

.”

The differences between President Donald Trump and Chicago-native Pope Leo XIV are striking when considering their political perspectives, personal lives, and outlooks on the world. Their leadership styles and spheres of influence vary greatly.

However, Leo’s groundbreaking election last week to head the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics as the first pope born in the USA signifies that both of the globe’s most influential figures are now Americans. This brings up queries regarding American sway particularly during Trump’s presidency.

tariff wars

and

somehow or another

threats have

overturned eighty years of worldwide structure

This led to allies developing mistrust towards the United States.

Many believe that the dominance of American influence in global politics has been a significant factor behind the Catholic Church never electing an American pope throughout the nation’s roughly 248-year history. However, this changed when the former Cardinal Robert F. Prevost from Chicago—now Pope Leo XIV—was selected as the 267th leader of the church just last week.

“The paradox of Leo’s victory is that people around the globe may see it as a beacon of optimism — as someone from America who can advocate for their interests instead of working against them,” stated David Gibson, director at Fordham University’s Center on Religion and Culture.

Pope Leo represents another type of American presence on the global platform.

The unexpected joy surrounding the lesser-known cardinal’s elevation quickly transformed into lively debates over whether the highest ranks of the worldwide hierarchy could be dominated by two individuals from America.

Trump is known to not enjoy sharing attention or primacy, as his “America first” foreign policy approach makes clear. American Catholics chose Trump over his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris.

As an apparent gesture towards them, Trump shared an artificial intelligence-created picture of himself portraying the pope during the period of mourning following Pope Francis’s death.

who died April 21

. The move was

Not well-received by certain Catholics and Italian individuals

Trump refuted sharing the image himself and stated that those who were upset “don’t have a sense of humor.” He maintained that “Catholics really enjoyed it.”

Nevertheless, Trump expressed his best wishes for Leo and referred to it as “a great honor” that the newly elected pope is from America.

Pope Leo, meanwhile, is in some senses a politician as well, with a calm manner and the approach of talking to his fellow cardinals in small groups before the conclave, they said. Though he was born in Chicago, Leo — then Prevost — spent two decades as a missionary in Peru before being appointed by Pope Francis in 2023 to lead the Vatican’s powerful office that vets bishops around the world.

He wouldn’t be the first pontiff to delve into global politics. For instance, Pope John Paul II is appropriately recognized for his role in aiding the collapse of communism. However, Pope Leo takes office having already

condemned Vice President JD Vance

The most prominent Catholic figure in U.S. politics expressed disagreement on social media with the administration over key policy areas like immigration — which is one of Trump’s major initiatives — and environmental matters.

Similar to Trump, Leo has also focused his attention on the media. On Monday in Vatican City, he demanded the release of

imprisoned journalists

And reinforced the call for “each of us to protect the vital gift of freedom of expression and of the media.” Conversely, Trump’s

approach to journalists

has been

combative,

from the

White House

to

the courts

.

Trump and Pope Leo are operating in ‘different spheres’ as leaders.

In early February, Leo — then still Prevost — shared an article from a Catholic publication with the headline, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”

It came days after Vance — a convert to Catholicism — discussed immigration in a Fox News interview by referencing a Christian tenet “that you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritize the rest of the world.”

Leo, speaking Italian to thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square, described a different vision for the Church and human relations: “We have to be a church that works together to build bridges and to keep our arms open, like this very piazza, welcoming.”

Vance suggested the papacy is “bigger” than politics and social media. “It’s very hard to fit a 2,000-year-old institution into the politics of 2025 America,” he said during an interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, adding that “it’s better for all of us if we allow the church to be about the saving of souls.”

In the rise of Trump at the same time as Leo, “the gospel meets the culture,” said Steven Millies, director of The Bernardin Center at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Religion and politics, he added, are misaligned because they are “oriented toward different purposes.”

“What both Francis and then Cardinal Prevost were doing was being bishops — teaching the Gospel, and reminding us the Gospel always is on the side of the poor, the afflicted, the suffering,” Millies said in an email. “That’s not Trump’s lane as a president, a reality TV star or a businessman.”

How American is Pope Leo’s world view, anyway?

Leo’s decades in Peru — he is a citizen of both countries — can give him a broader view of humanity and power, and religion and politics, scholars say.

Beyond the obvious personality differences with Trump, Leo is expected to wield power differently — to the neediest people first, for example, whereas Trump cut off American aid. Leo did not mention his American roots during his first speech, nor did he speak in English — a sign, some Vatican watchers said, of his global priorities.

Although it’s accurate to say that Leo is the first U.S.-born pope, it might be more insightful to consider him as the second pope originating from the American continent,” noted Raul Zegarra, an assistant professor specializing in Roman Catholic theological studies at Harvard Divinity School. “This perspective counters ‘America first’ mindsets and encourages a broader view of the area, much like Pope Francis initially proposed, focusing on the southern hemisphere.

All of these aspects indicate a pope who grasps global leadership via conversation rather than seclusion; someone who wields influence through assistance, not oppression,” he stated. “It’s challenging to envision a more stark difference compared to the present U.S. government.

Some American cardinals suggest that Leo doesn’t really embody an American style or perspective, and they believe his U.S. background had minimal influence on him being chosen as pope. However, Trump was looming over the entire process.

Six American cardinals who attended the conclave stepped onto the platform.

a press conference

As ” Born in the USA” and “American Pie” played through the speakers, one after another minimized Leo’s connection to America. Someone mentioned a circulating statement calling Leo “the least American of the American” cardinals. Many expressed their belief that Leo would serve as a “bridge-builder” with the Trump administration—echoing the Latin term for pontiff, which means bridge-maker.

When asked if the cardinals chose Leo to counterbalance Trump, many responded negatively.

“I don’t believe for a moment that my fellow cardinal brothers would have considered him as a counterbalance to anyone,” stated Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who serves as the Archbishop of New York.

The cardinals undoubtedly knew about events that transpired in the U.S., remarks that had been issued, as well as political steps that were undertaken,” Archbishop Emeritus Wilton Gregory stated. However, he noted that the primary aim of the conclave was to select “which one of us” would best be able to bolster people’s faith.

Millies stated, “The concern shouldn’t be about having a U.S.-born pope. On the contrary: Being ‘the most American among Americans,’ he remains unburdened by our current political climate and could appear more reassuring precisely because, despite all this, he is an American who deeply understands this country’s noble qualities.”


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