MAGA Rage Erupts as New Pope’s Views of Trump Prove Unexpectedly Harsh

THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent

The New Republic

News, Politics

4.4 • 800 Ratings

🗓️ 9 May 2025

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Right after the news broke that Robert Francis Prevost was elected as the new Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, the internet produced lots of evidence that he has promoted articles critical of JD Vance and Donald Trump, and even expressed sympathy for George Floyd. That prompted MAGA figures to erupt in anger. They attacked the new Pope as anti-Trump pro-open borders, a Marxist, and soft on thugs and drug dealers, as Media Matters documented. We talked to the excellent political theorist Matt McManus, who was raised in the church and regularly wrestles with the intellectual roots of today’s right wing, including in his 2023 book, The Political Right and Equality. He explains what Vance gets wrong about Catholic teaching, why it’s so inimical to Trumpism, and how today’s pro-Trump influencers and “post-liberal” Catholic intellectuals alike are refusing to reckon with what MAGA has truly become. Listen to this episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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1:00.8	I'm your host, Greg Sargent.
1:16.3	MAGA personalities are very, very unhappy about the new pope. Right after the news broke that Robert Francis Prevost was elected as Pope of the Roman Catholic
1:21.1	Church, the Internet produced lots of evidence that he has promoted articles critical of
1:26.0	J.D. Vance and Donald Trump, and even expressed
1:28.9	sympathy for George Floyd. That prompted MAGA figures to erupt in anger attacking the new
1:35.2	Pope as anti-Trump, pro-open borders, a Marxist, and soft on thugs and drug dealers.
1:42.6	All this is fraught territory for people with godless upbringings
1:46.1	like myself, so we figured we'd talk it through with someone who was both raised in the Catholic
1:50.8	Church and as an excellent political theorist. Matt McManus regularly wrestles with the intellectual
1:56.8	roots of today's right wing, including in his excellent 2023 book, The Political
2:02.1	Right and Equality. Matt, it's great to have you on, ma'am. Yeah, it's a real pleasure to be here.
2:08.5	So the first American pope has taken the name Pope Leo the 14th. He has apparently shared a number
2:14.5	of articles critical of J.D. Vance, in particular, one that said
2:18.4	Vance was wrong in claiming that Catholic teachings support the MAGA worldview and agenda.
2:24.3	The Pope also shared an article criticizing Trump's hostility to immigrants and shared a
2:29.3	tweet about the need to pray for George Floyd. Matt, what do we know about this new pope's views and how do they
	...

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