If there’s one thing the MAGA movement loves more than Trump, it’s loyalty to Trump—even from the Vatican.
So imagine their shock when the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, an American no less, had the audacity to follow the Bible instead of the GOP playbook.
Yes, you read that right.
In his first public address, Pope Leo XIV—formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago—delivered a message rooted in mercy, justice, and care for the vulnerable. You know, the kind of stuff Jesus actually talked about. But in MAGA-world, that’s practically heresy.
According to Republican strategist Rick Wilson, the backlash was swift and unhinged.
“MAGA hates the woke pope,” Wilson wrote in a scathing Substack post, pointing out that Pope Leo’s emphasis on compassion and social justice was enough to send the far-right into a collective meltdown.
It’s not hard to see why. Pope Leo’s stance on issues like immigration and refugees—positions grounded in basic Christian teachings—runs directly counter to the xenophobic, hardline nationalism that has come to define Trump’s base.
And here’s the kicker: MAGA operatives apparently tried to block cardinals like Leo from being elected in the first place.
Wilson claims there was an organized smear campaign designed to prevent a “woke” pope from taking the helm. Their dream candidate? A MAGA-aligned hardliner who’d happily transform the Vatican into a spiritual Fox News. Red hat and all.
But that plan collapsed like Trump’s “election fraud” lawsuits.
Instead, the College of Cardinals chose someone with a conscience. Someone who doesn’t treat the Beatitudes like a liberal conspiracy.
And that’s what really burns them. Not only is Pope Leo a compassionate, Biblically grounded leader—he’s also American. He understands U.S. culture and politics far too well to fall for Trumpism dressed in religious drag.
“The fact that Leo is an American from Chicago makes them more furious,” Wilson wrote. “He understands our politics and culture… and this frightens MAGA TradCath types who wanted a Trump ally in the Vatican.”
Let that sink in: The outrage isn’t just ideological. It’s personal. They thought they were getting a pope who’d tweet “Build the wall!” from the balcony of St. Peter’s. Instead, they got a priest who still believes in the Sermon on the Mount.
And MAGA’s meltdown is nothing short of biblical.
Right-wing influencers have blasted the Pope as “woke,” “soft,” and even “anti-American”—because apparently, Christian compassion is now unpatriotic. Others raged that Leo’s immigrant-friendly stance is an “attack on national sovereignty,” as if the Vatican is now a branch of the ACLU.
Wilson didn’t hold back on the absurdity of it all.
“God forbid the new Pope follow the teachings of Jesus and not follow the teachings of the MAGA Apocrypha,” he wrote, skewering the movement’s tendency to treat Trump’s ideology as holier than scripture.
It’s a brutal—but accurate—takedown of the right-wing fantasy that religious leaders should function like political lapdogs. For a movement that constantly cries about religious freedom, MAGA seems furious when that freedom doesn’t involve idolizing Donald Trump.
And the hypocrisy? Off the charts.
As Wilson noted, much of the MAGA base is Protestant—yet they’re demanding a Catholic Pope who aligns with their political views. That’s not religious faith. That’s authoritarian cosplay.
The deeper truth here is uncomfortable: MAGA doesn’t want religion. It wants obedience. And Pope Leo, by daring to embody the actual teachings of Christianity, just committed the ultimate sin in their eyes—independent thought.
So now, MAGA world is seething. But the rest of us? We’re watching a refreshing twist in a tired political drama.
For once, a leader stood at the intersection of faith and politics—and chose integrity over ideology.
And MAGA can’t handle it.
