President Trump Breaks His Silence on Death of Pope Francis

(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, Pool)

President Donald Trump joined world leaders in offering his own brief tribute to Pope Francis, who died Monday at age 88, and those in the church “who loved him.”

The Vatican announced the death of Francis early Monday in a statement released to the media to praise the pontiff’s legacy as having been “in favor of the poorest and most marginalised.”

Responding to the news just a couple of hours later, Trump took to Truth Social with a brief message:

Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!

The Pope’s passing came just one day after his final public engagement on Easter Sunday, when he also met Vice President JD Vance, who was representing the Trump administration on an overseas diplomatic mission. The pair met briefly at the pontiff’s residence in Vatican City.

The Pope publicly clashed with Trump several times over immigration at various points during both administrations, pointedly remarking that leaders must “build walls instead of bridges” in 2017 as Trump pushed ahead with his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall. In February, he also rebuked Vance—a Catholic convert—for what he saw as the opportunistic use of Church teaching to justify deportations.