Washington: President Donald Trump ordered American flags flown at half-staff on Monday following the death of Pope Francis, offering public praise for the late pontiff and describing him as “a good man” who “loved the world”. The gesture, however, stands in contrast to the complex and often contentious relationship the two leaders shared, defined largely by their clashing views on immigration.
Despite a decade of ideological friction—particularly over Francis’ vocal advocacy for the humane treatment of migrants—Trump has, in recent days, refrained from mentioning any tensions. The U.S. president is scheduled to travel to Rome on Friday, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump and a U.S. delegation, to attend the pope’s funeral. It marks Trump’s first international trip since beginning his second term in office.
Speaking at the White House Easter Egg Roll event earlier this week, Trump stood beside his wife and emphasized Francis’ character. “He was a good man, worked hard, he loved the world,” Trump said. When asked by a reporter if he agreed with the pope’s call for tolerance toward migrants, Trump simply replied, “Yeah, I do.”
Since taking office again in January, Trump has aggressively pursued an immigration crackdown, celebrating his enforcement measures with a characteristically emphatic social media post on Thursday.
“THE SOUTHERN BORDER IS NOW THE STRONGEST AND SAFEST IN USA HISTORY. IT WILL REMAIN SO,” Trump wrote.
The longstanding discord between Trump and Francis can be traced back to the 2016 election campaign, when Trump announced plans to construct a border wall between the United States and Mexico. Francis publicly criticized the idea, remarking, “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.”
Trump quickly fired back.
“For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful,” Trump said in a campaign statement. “If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS… I can promise you that the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president because this would not have happened.”
A Complex Meeting and Political Support
After assuming office in 2017, Trump visited the Vatican during his first overseas trip. A widely circulated photograph from the encounter showed the Trump family standing next to a solemn-faced pope, symbolizing the tension between the two figures.
Yet, despite their differences, Trump enjoyed considerable support from Catholic voters during the most recent election. According to an Edison Research exit poll, he secured 63% of the Catholic vote—an increase of seven percentage points compared to 2020.
“They were with me during the election as you know very strongly, and it’s just an honor to have the support of the Catholics and I feel very badly for them because they love the pope,” Trump said on Monday in an interview with the Eternal World Television Network.
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Pope Francis continued to advocate for migrants throughout Trump’s presidency. In a letter dated February 10, addressed to American bishops, he once again voiced concern over Trump’s policies.
“I have followed closely the major crisis that is taking place in the United States with the initiation of a program of mass deportations,” the pope wrote. “The rightly formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment and express its disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality.”
Different Lives, Different Legacies
Beyond policy disputes, the two leaders were symbolic opposites. Francis chose to live modestly in a Vatican guesthouse and often preached humility and simplicity. Trump, by contrast, reintroduced opulent gold embellishments into the Oval Office, underscoring his luxurious aesthetic and wealth as America’s richest president.
Piotr Kosicki, a historian at the University of Maryland, observed that despite the ideological rift, Trump’s planned attendance at the funeral is “definitely a show of respect.”
“It’s clearly a historic moment to be able to participate in that,” Kosicki said.
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Adding a poignant footnote to the relationship, Vice President JD Vance was among the last foreign dignitaries to meet Pope Francis before his passing. They met briefly on Easter Sunday.
“It was a great blessing,” Vance said later, emphasizing the significance of the meeting while downplaying the administration’s policy disagreements with the Vatican.
