It took only hours after the white smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel for right-wing media figures, MAGA influencers, and pro-Trump activists to launch a coordinated outcry against the newly elected Pope Leo XIV.
Though some initially expressed pride in the fact that Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago had become the first American pope in history, that moment of national sentiment was swiftly overtaken by fury.
As Pope Leo XIV’s past statements and social media activity came to light, prominent voices in the MAGA movement erupted in a mixture of rage, derision, and conspiracy-laced frustration.
The source of their anger lay not in the identity of the man elected, but in his perceived values. They viewed Leo XIV not as a spiritual leader but as a threat to the political ideology they revere, branding him almost immediately with the now-familiar terms “woke,” “globalist,” and “Marxist.”
At the heart of the backlash was the pope’s documented history of social justice advocacy, including his criticism of Trump-era immigration policies, his open expressions of grief following the death of George Floyd, and his public rebuke of Vice President J.D. Vance for comments about ranking Christian love.
In a tweet earlier this year, Leo XIV wrote that “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others,” referencing the vice president’s remarks about prioritizing Christian affection toward certain groups.
That comment, along with retweets supporting gun control, denouncing deportations to El Salvador, and praying for victims of systemic racism, quickly resurfaced across conservative social media feeds.
Within hours of the conclave’s decision, a narrative had taken hold among far-right commentators that the Catholic Church had not only elected a progressive pope but had done so intentionally to undermine Donald Trump.
Among the first to lash out was Steve Bannon, who had days earlier warned on-air about the potential for Prevost to be selected. Bannon told Piers Morgan that Prevost was a likely choice and described him as one of the most progressive cardinals on the shortlist.
That warning was echoed after the election by Newsmax anchor Rob Schmitt, who grumbled that this pope “better not be woke.” But as soon as the decision was finalized, the rhetoric escalated.
Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and self-described Islamophobe, issued an avalanche of posts decrying the new pope as “anti-Trump, anti-MAGA, pro-open Borders,” and “a total Marxist like Pope Francis.”
She referred to the choice as “GROSS,” emphasizing her belief that the Vatican had been overtaken by leftist ideology. Loomer further attacked the pope’s expressions of sympathy for George Floyd, referencing a tweet he once shared calling for the eradication of hatred and prejudice.
Loomer’s reaction to that post was laced with venom, suggesting that even mourning a man’s death could now be seen as a political offense.
Others joined quickly. Alt-right conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich accused the new pope of being a globalist who would soon be advocating for abortion rights.
He urged his followers to scroll through Leo XIV’s social media history to see his support for policies Cernovich found unacceptable. MAGA social media personality Joey Mannarino called the pope a “liberal piece of s***” and warned that Catholics were “f***ed.”
His wife Ada Lluch echoed the sentiment, saying the pope “suffers from the woke mind virus.” Their marriage, once touted as a success story linked to their shared love of Trump, has since dissolved, but their online vitriol remains.
MAGA influencer Vince Langman posted a 2015 tweet in which Leo XIV criticized Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric, using it as proof that his election was part of a deliberate campaign to install a woke liberal pope.
Langman wrote that the Church chose an American pope “on purpose” to undermine the MAGA movement and global conservatism.
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk joined the pile-on during his own broadcast, stating that the new pope had retweeted “George Floyd propaganda,” but adding with resignation that this outcome was predictable.
Jack Posobiec, another far-right figure and a key promoter of the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, appeared visibly angry on air. He accused Leo XIV of working against President Trump and demanded immediate clarity on whether the pope intended to support or oppose Trump’s agenda.
Posobiec claimed Catholics had helped deliver the presidency to Trump and suggested the new pope owed the movement his respect. He warned that Leo XIV’s social media activity suggested allegiance to Biden-style policies and insisted that any opposition to Trump from the Vatican would be unacceptable.
Despite the uproar, former President Trump himself struck a more measured tone. In a post on Truth Social, he offered his congratulations to the new pope, seemingly unaware of the criticisms Leo XIV had made against his immigration policies or public statements.
Trump said it was a great honor for the United States to have the first American pope and that he looked forward to meeting him, calling it a meaningful moment.
That congratulatory note did little to calm the reaction from Trump’s base, who continued throughout the day to amplify clips and screenshots of the new pontiff’s social media posts as evidence that the Catholic Church had chosen a leader aligned with globalist, liberal values.
To them, Leo XIV is not merely another successor to Saint Peter, but a direct ideological threat to the MAGA worldview. His expressions of love for immigrants, his prayers for the oppressed, and his rejection of nationalist rhetoric have been reinterpreted as acts of betrayal.
The criticism went far beyond theology. It was deeply personal, vitriolic, and rooted in the notion that Leo XIV, by virtue of his compassion, had disqualified himself in their eyes.
While the world celebrated the historic selection of an American pope, a corner of the internet, fueled by rage and paranoia, declared war on the Vatican.
For Pope Leo XIV, his first hours as pontiff have already demonstrated how politically charged his papacy is likely to be. Even before he has delivered a formal encyclical or conducted his first major address, he has been labeled a Marxist, a globalist, and an enemy of the right.
The Church, long entangled in global politics, is again facing the challenge of leading a fractured flock. Whether Leo XIV will engage with the criticism or ignore it remains to be seen, but the message from MAGA world is clear.
They view his compassion as an attack, his empathy as betrayal, and his election as a rejection of everything they hold sacred. And they are preparing for battle.
