Three American Cardinals Use 60 Minutes to Pile On President Trump Over Pope Leo XIV Spat — Desperate Play to Shatter Trump’s Catholic Base Before 2026 Midterms
Three progressive American Cardinals, Blase Cupich of Chicago, Robert McElroy of San Diego, and Joseph Tobin of Newark, crashed CBS’s failing Sunday night propaganda hour “60 Minutes” to publicly flog President Donald Trump for daring to criticize the newly elected Pope Leo XIV.
This was a coordinated election-year hit job designed to fracture President Trump’s exploding Catholic voter base just months before the critical 2026 midterms.
Pope Leo XIV has already waded into U.S. politics by slamming President Trump’s decisive military action against Iran and his record-setting mass deportation operation that is finally securing our southern border.
On national television, Cupich, McElroy, and Tobin, seized the moment like seasoned Democrat operatives. They didn’t defend Catholic teaching.
They didn’t talk about the 70 million aborted babies since Roe. They didn’t mention the flood of fentanyl killing American families thanks to open borders. Instead, they lectured the President and, by extension, every Catholic who supports him.
WATCH:
“I hate Trump and I LOVE open borders” -D.C. Cardinal McElroy
This is a FULL TDS meltdown from a man as his Church cashes BILLIONS from trafficking illegals through Catholic Charities.
Shame on him. pic.twitter.com/9HgJEY50Uz
— Liz Churchill (@liz_churchill10) April 13, 2026
Robert Barron, Bishop of the Diocese of Winona–Rochester and a member of President Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, also issued a statement criticizing the president:
“The statements made by President Trump on Truth Social regarding the Pope were entirely inappropriate and disrespectful. They don’t contribute at all to a constructive conversation. It is the Pope’s prerogative to articulate Catholic doctrine and the principles that govern the moral life.
In regard to the concrete application of those principles, people of good will can and do disagree. I would warmly recommend that serious Catholics within the Trump administration–Secretary Rubio, Vice President Vance, Ambassador Brian Burch, and others–might meet with Vatican officials so that a real dialogue can take place. This is far preferable to the statements on social media.
I am very grateful for the many ways that the Trump administration has reached out to Catholics and other people of faith. It has been a high honor to serve on the Religious Liberty Commission. No President in my lifetime has shown a greater dedication to defending our first liberty. All that said, I think the President owes the Pope an apology.”
The statements made by President Trump on Truth Social regarding the Pope were entirely inappropriate and disrespectful. They don’t contribute at all to a constructive conversation. It is the Pope’s prerogative to articulate Catholic doctrine and the principles that govern the…
— Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) April 13, 2026
Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton weighed in on X, blasting the optics of the appearance and the glaring double standard:
“America kills about 1,000,000 unborn human beings a year through abortion and yet three leading cardinals go on 60 Minutes to promote left-wing talking points on Trump, the illegal immigration invasion, etc.”
Commentator Mike Cernovich also warned that the media push appears coordinated and strategic—aimed squarely at reshaping Catholic voting behavior ahead of the midterms.
“The Catholic vote swung big for Trump in 2024… So the issue now, of course, is what can be done to bring the Catholics back to the Democrats. So you have an op coming on multiple fronts.”
Cernovich pointed to what he described as a contradiction in messaging from Church leadership:
“The Pope plays this game where he goes, well, of course a country can have a border… But then the bishops are on 60 Minutes going, these mass deportations are inhumane. Well, how can you have a border if you don’t have deportations?”
He continued, questioning the selectivity of moral outrage:
“Where’s the Pope’s moral authority when it comes to condemning official Democrat policies on abortion? You’re not seeing it. You’re seeing an op.”
Cernovich also criticized what he sees as a broader pattern of political alignment:
“Understand that we’re being attacked by false doctrine… You have to take the straight narrow path right in between that.”
WATCH:
The Pope and Bishops work with Bari Weiss and Obama-era Democrat operatives / 60 Minutes to undermine Trump’s domestic policy on immigration. pic.twitter.com/NMNK0hGzSM
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) April 13, 2026
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