Media positions Pope Leo XIV as potential 'counterweight' to Trump
Pope Leo XIV has been hailed as a major contrast to President Donald Trump by some in the press after the American-born cardinal was chosen to be the next leader of the Catholic Church on Thursday, with several liberal media figures wondering if he will serve as a counterbalance to the president and his policies.
"I think it's so timely that we have an American pope because we are going through things in this country, and it is good to show the world that not all American leaders are the same. It's good to have an American that can denounce the things happening against immigrants here," said "The View" co-host Ana Navarro on Monday.
"People are being dragged into the streets. Mothers are being separated from their children as they're breastfeeding. The things that are happening in this country are horrible, and I love that there's going to be someone who can call it out in English," she added.
After being selected as the first pontiff from the United States to lead the Church, Pope Leo presided over his first mass on Friday.
ABC News host Martha Raddataz spoke to Cardinal Blase Cupich, the Archbishop of Chicago, on Sunday and asked if the new pope would be a "counterbalance" to Trump.
"Pope Francis cared so much about the poor and migrants. Pope Leo does as well. In some ways, will he be a counterbalance for what's happening in American politics right now and President Trump?" she said.
Cupich responded, "I think he's going to help complete and complement our political agenda. He'll talk a lot about the immigrants as well, because he knows about the sufferings of people and the real needs that they have for a better life."
Raddatz posed the same question to her ABC panel, and ABC's Terry Moran argued it was likely inevitable that they would clash.
"Reluctantly. Right?" ABC's Terry Moran responded. "They are the two most famous Americans in the world right now. And arguably, Pope Leo might be even more famous than President Trump and whether the pope wants it or not, because I think he wants to preach the Gospel and do the good work of the Church. They have different approaches naturally in some ways, and I think that is going to come out."
Moran continued, "He will be a voice for the teachings of Jesus, which, in many ways, many Catholics believe are not consistent with some of the president's policies. That will happen. I don't think he's going to go look for a fight, but it will happen."
Several headlines from Time Magazine, NPR and more suggested the selection of Leo would lead to a clash with Trump on certain policies. NPR's headline read, "Pope Leo XIV may help Vatican explore the 'great uncertainty' that is Trump's America." Time Magazine published a headline that read, "In Pope Leo XIV, Donald Trump Finds a New Foil."
Politico Europe reported, "when the 133 cardinal voters sequestered themselves in the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to elect the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, they settled on not just an American but one who could, plausibly, act as a counterweight against the impulsive U.S. president."
"This was not wholly by chance. When the cardinals eventually found unity on a new pontiff, the progressives among them were aware that Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost, a 69-year-old former missionary with a mixed heritage, was a leader who could provide an alternative voice to Trump," the report continued, citing two cardinals who remained anonymous.
MSNBC's Chris Jansing asked former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi if Pope Leo would be a "moral" voice to counter Trump's immigration policies, citing social media posts written by Leo prior to becoming the pope.
"Do you think that at this moment, when so many people are looking to him, he could be impactful as a moral and ethical voice on that issue that we're dealing with, when so many people are being deported or fear it?" Jansing asked.
Pelosi responded, "I certainly hope so."
MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell asked Sister Simone Campbell on Thursday if Leo was among the cardinals who stand in opposition to Trump.
"We have seen some American cardinals who, I guess the way I would put it, are surprisingly sympathetic to Donald Trump. They try not to be overtly political, but you can tell that there's a certain chumminess and sense of support of Donald Trump by some of them. And we also have many American cardinals who stand in opposition to so much of what Donald Trump stands for. Can we place the new pope somewhere in that mix? Do we know enough?" O'Donnell asked.
Campbell pointed to Leo's social media posts and said he stood with the migrants.
MSNBC's Ayman Mohyeldin posed a question to Princeton professor Eddie Glaude Jr. about the selection of Pope Leo XIV amid Trump's presidency.
"I'm curious to get your thoughts on the fact that this is an American pope at a time when America's moral standing in the world has plummeted. We were speaking to Father Robert Hagen earlier this evening, and he said this was a pope for the time that we find ourselves in," Mohyeldin began.
"And I'm just thinking about the time that we do find ourselves in, with America having this moral reckoning internally, and now this pope who, in real time, the MAGA world found out was maybe not an America-first pope that they would have hoped for. Steve Bannon has said that there's going to be friction between the new pope and Donald Trump," he continued.
Glaude said it was historical, but said he was more interested in Leo's theology.
"How theologically he can respond to where the country is, the way he's interpreting or understanding the role of Christ in our lives, the importance of love in relation to the most vulnerable among us," he said.
During Leo's first meeting with journalists on Monday, the pope called for the release of imprisoned journalists and affirmed the "precious gift of free speech and the press." He also told the journalists they must act responsibly in using artificial intelligence in their work, asking them to "ensure that it can be used for the good of all, so that it can benefit all of humanity."
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28 minutes ago
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Donald Trump is front and center for Army's big DC birthday parade
Donald Trump is front and center for Army's big DC birthday parade Trump is poised to be president during the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding, the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the LA Summer Olympics in 2028. Show Caption Hide Caption Military equipment headed to DC ahead of Trump's birthday parade Battle tanks, fighting vehicles and infantry carriers departed Texas for D.C. for President Trump's military parade. The June 14 parade reflects the president's vision of his role and of the nation's power. Some predict an inspiring moment of patriotism; others see an alarming echo of authoritarianism. WASHINGTON − Donald Trump loves a parade. Also palace-in-the-sky planes, gold decor in the Oval Office, the adulation of huge rallies, the company of kings (British, Saudi), and the general aura that surrounds power, wealth and royalty. The president's determination to stage a procession of America's troops and its military hardware, with 28 Abrams tanks thundering up Constitution Avenue in the nation's capital and 50 military helicopters thumping overhead, reflects his vision of his role and the nation he leads. Asserting sweeping and sometimes unprecedented powers for the presidency, he is commanding a go-it-alone United States, ready and willing to flex its muscle in the world. The last big national event, Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, was a demonstration of tradition and shared powers: The incoming president stood on the Capitol steps, the chief justice gave the oath, members of Congress and former presidents witnessed the peaceful transition of authority. Five months later, the celebration on June 14 marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army will put Trump alone front and center. Also: The parade just happens to be taking place on his 79th birthday. Trump is the happy beneficiary of the calendar. He is poised to be president not only during the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding but also the FIFA World Cup in 2026 (co-hosted with Canada and Mexico) and the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. The confluence of events is no coincidence, he suggests. "I have everything," he boasted at a Memorial Day event at Arlington Cemetery. "Amazing the way things work out. God did that." The good fortune of Trump's 2020 defeat Whether or not it was a case of divine intervention, Trump's electoral defeat in 2020 has, with the benefit of hindsight, turned out to be serendipitous for him. The four-year interregnum not only put him in a position to preside during historic and high-profile celebrations, but it also gave him a Democratic predecessor as a whipping boy when things go wrong. It also provided the opportunity for him to solidify control of the Republican Party and for supporters to create ambitious blueprints like Project 2025 to tap when he landed a second term. It even opened the door for the parade he had set his heart on when he watched French tanks roll down the Champs-Élysées in Paris on Bastille Day in 2017. "One of the greatest parades I've ever seen," he marveled, telling French President Emmanuel Macron he wanted to "top" it. During Trump's first term, though, the Pentagon resisted. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, a retired Marine Corps four-star general, objected to the idea as a politicization of the military. In 2020, when Trump pushed again despite concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, Mattis' successor, Mark Esper, arranged instead for an array of warplanes to fly down the East Coast in an "air parade." Now, Pete Hegseth, a Trump loyalist and former Fox News host, is leading the Defense Department. The Army's plans for a low-key birthday celebration of festivals, fun runs and a commemorative stamp have now been dramatically expanded to include what the White House might call a big, beautiful parade. The sight of more than 100 combat vehicles on the ground and dozens of vintage and modern warplanes in the air should be staggering. The troops plus 34 horses, two mules, a dog named Doc Holliday and some of the vehicles will start at the Pentagon in Virginia, cross Arlington Memorial Bridge, then head to the parade route along the National Mall, joined there by the tanks. Trump will be watching from a reviewing stand just south of the White House that is now being constructed for the occasion. Paratroopers from the Army's Golden Knights are set to parachute in, land on the Eclipse and present Trump with an American flag. The president will then preside over the enlistment and reenlistment of 250 soldiers. There will be fireworks. Is it inspiring or alarming? The United States has staged military parades before, of course. At the end of the Civil War, the bloodiest conflict in American history, the Grand Review of the Armies lasted two days and featured 145,000 soldiers from the victorious Union forces marching through Washington and sometimes breaking into song. President Andrew Johnson, who had been sworn in after Abraham Lincoln's assassination a month earlier, presided. During the Cold War, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a retired five-star general and hero of World War II, had troops, tanks and warplanes in his inaugural parade. His successor, John F. Kennedy, included troops in his inaugural parade in 1961. The last major military parade in the capital was in 1991 to mark the end of the first Gulf War, when George H.W. Bush was president. But there is not much precedent in the United States for such a massive military parade in peacetime. Like many things involving Trump, reactions clash between those who predict a stirring moment of patriotism and those who see it as an alarming echo of authoritarianism. The ritualized display of armaments and troops is more routine in places like Russia, China and North Korea, where strongmen show their force to their own citizens and the world. In the USA, liberal and pro-democracy groups have declared a "No Kings" day of protests on June 14, with anti-Trump demonstrations planned in more than 1,500 communities across the country. Trump has never been shy about demanding attention and claiming credit for his presidential record, putting himself in the top rank of the 45 men who have held the job. In his State of the Union address in March, he said that "many" believed he had just recorded the most successful first month of any presidency − with George Washington in second place. Last month, on the facade of the Agriculture Department that faces the Mall, a huge banner of Trump's face was draped between the columns alongside one of Lincoln. By the way, that's the building where thousands of the troops who will be marching in the parade will bivouac, sleeping on cots and bringing their own sleeping bags. Agriculture employees have been directed to work from home for the first three weeks of the month to clear the way for them. $45 million? 'Peanuts,' Trump says The parade's price tag? The Army has estimated the cost at $30 million to $45 million, in addition to the promise to help the D.C. government deal with the aftermath. Huge steel plates are being embedded at some intersections to protect the asphalt, but at 140,000 pounds each, the Abrams battle tanks are expected to, well, leave an impression. That could add as much as an estimated $16 million. "Peanuts," Trump said of the cost on NBC's "Meet the Press" last month, "compared to the value of doing it."
