Vice President JD Vance hailed Pope Leo XIV on Saturday for dialing down tensions in his explosive clash with President Trump over the Iran war.
Vance said he was “grateful” to Leo for making clear that it’s “not in my interest at all” to debate Trump, after warning earlier this month that God doesn’t hear the prayers of war-waging leaders with “hands full of blood” – a sermon that ignited a fiery feud with the president.
“I am grateful to Pope Leo for saying this. While the media narrative constantly gins up conflict–and yes, real disagreements have happened and will happen – the reality is often much more complicated,” he posted on X Saturday night.
“Pope Leo preaches the gospel, as he should, and that will inevitably mean he offers his opinions on the moral issues of the day. The President – and the entire administration – work to apply those moral principles in a messy world. He will be in our prayers, and I hope that we’ll be in his.”
Vance’s olive branch came after the first US pontiff weighed in on his public spat with Trump earlier in the day.
