The American Solidarity Party has accused President Donald Trump of blasphemy over his recent attacks on Pope Leo XIV, arguing that his presidency reflects “decades of voting for the lesser of two evils” in American politics.
In a statement Monday, National Committee Chair Jack Ternan called Trump a “man of lawlessness” and said the president “blasphemes against the Lord and attacks the Pope for preaching the gospel and prompting peace.”
The party, which identifies itself as being based in the tradition of Christian Democracy, urged Christians to reconsider their political support for Trump, asking whether those “called to be salt and light in a dark world” can continue to support what it called “one of Satan’s teams.”
“Perhaps the lowly are blameless for picking from the poor choices on offer,” the statement read, adding that “faithful men and women of means and education should think about the questions St. Peter may ask at the holy gates.”
The party further called on supporters to “stand with the Prince of Peace against those who start unjust wars,” tying its criticism directly to ongoing tensions between Trump and the pope over war and U.S. military involvement overseas.
The two leaders have clashed in recent months over issues including immigration policy and war, with Pope Leo XIV criticizing the Trump administration’s treatment of migrants and questioning whether those policies are consistent with Christian teaching. He also condemned war in strong terms in a Palm Sunday Mass message, arguing that God rejects violence and warning that leaders who justify it are overstepping.
In more recent days, the dispute has come to center in part on U.S. involvement in a conflict with Iran, with Trump swiping at Leo over social media. In a post Sunday on Truth Social, Trump called Leo “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” and suggested Leo would not have been chosen as pope had Trump not been in the White House.
“Unfortunately, Leo’s Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons, does not sit well with me, nor does the fact that he meets with Obama Sympathizers like David Axelrod, a LOSER from the Left, who is one of those who wanted churchgoers and clerics to be arrested,” Trump wrote. “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.”
Trump has also shared an AI-generated image depicting himself in overtly religious clothing, appearing to minister to a man lying in a hospital bed, which prompted additional backlash. Leaders within the Catholic Church, along with congressional Democrats and some Republicans, have denounced Trump’s remarks and called the imagery disrespectful.
According to reports Monday, Leo has also since rebuked Trump’s remarks, saying he does not fear the administration. Trump, for his part, denied the image was meant to depict him as a religious figure, instead saying it portrayed him as a doctor because he makes “people feel better.” He added that the post has since been removed.
Reminder that the American Solidarity Party is broadly similar to Catholicism-based “Christian Democrat” and similar parties in western Europe.