Joe Scarborough Shreds JD Vance for ‘Lecturing’ Pope: ‘Guy Who Decided to Become Catholic Last Week’

Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough shredded Vice President JD Vance for “lecturing” Pope Leo XIV by telling him to “stick to matters of morality” after President Donald Trump trashed the pontiff as “weak” on Monday.

After a perceived broadside on Iran from Pope Leo, the first American-born pontiff, Trump lashed out in a screed on Sunday, branding the pope “WEAK” and declaring: “I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do.”

The remarks drew international backlash from lawmakers and Catholic bishops around the world who publicly defended the pope.

Speaking to reporters aboard a flight to Algeria, the first stop on a broader African tour, Pope Leo said he felt a “moral duty” to speak out and added: “I have no fear, neither of the Trump administration, nor speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for.”

On Tuesday’s show, however, Scarborough zeroed in on Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, over his rebuttal made during an interview with Fox News host Brett Baier on Special Report Monday night.

Catholics have been having quite a bit of a chuckle over a guy who decided to become a Catholic last week, or a little earlier than that and said, ‘I’ve got to do two things. I’ve got to write a book about being a Catholic, and I’m going to attack the Pope, and I’m going to lecture the pope about how he should do his job at the Vatican.’ This, of course, is JD Vance, who decides he’s lecturing the pontiff on what he should and should not do, and acting as if he’s shocked and stunned and deeply saddened that the pope actually talks about things that pertain to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Scarborough then referred to the often-quoted teaching of Jesus Christ – “blessed are the peacemakers” – as he argued the pope had not attacked Trump but had merely quoted Jesus.

He continued:

I’ve just got to say to JD Vance, newly converted Catholic, if you don’t like what the pope is saying, don’t take it up with the pope, take it up with Jesus Christ, because those are the words [he’s quoting].

Scarborough then rolled back the clip of Vance speaking to Baier about the issue, which he called an “attack” on the pope, in which the vice president scolded the Vatican and warned it should “stick to matters of morality” and leave policy to the president.

Reacting the host said:

Matters of morality? That’s exactly what he’s talking about, buddy. Come on, pal, he’s talking about matters of morality. Pope after pope after pope has been critical of war. He’s been critical when people have been oppressed, like people have been oppressed in the United States because of mass deportation policies… that’s just what they’ve been doing forever.

Offering what he said was “guidance” to the vice president, Scarborough recommended that he “just get a Bible” and read it.

“It will all come very clear to you,” he quipped. “It’s not that hard.”

Watch above via MS NOW.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!