Among America’s Democrat-run big cities, Chicago remains a consistent innovator in the fields of corruption and crime.
And since that city is where the Catholic Church’s first American pope hails from, Leo XIV should know that better than most.
That’s why, when the pontiff decided to sit down with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson recently, President Donald Trump saw it as the latest reason to express his disappointment.
According to The Hill:
“Someone should explain to the Pope that the Mayor of Chicago is useless, and that Iran cannot have a Nuclear Weapon!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
In his post, he added screenshots of posts shared by Johnson on X showing himself spending time with the pope at the Vatican on Friday.
The images showed Johnson presenting Leo with a miniature Chicago flag and the two smiling while holding a Chicago Cubs hat — despite Leo being a known White Sox fan. Leo is the first American pope and was born in Chicago.
Trump has taken a few shots at the current pope in recent weeks, and the latest indirect jab attracted some praise from social media users who aren’t particularly fond of Leo or Johnson:
Whom must they be praying to?
— ToniG19 (@toni_g19) May 30, 2026
What’s inaccurate about this Trump post? Leo should not be meeting with Brandon Johnson.
— Dena Fredrickson (@dena30211) May 31, 2026
Saying the Mayor of Chicago is useless
is an ATTACK on THE POPE.Weird. A normal person would say the Mayor was the target, not the other guy in the picture.
— RedHaired Conservatarian (@RedHConservatar) May 31, 2026
Naturally, the Windy City’s mayor had to get involved, as CBS News reported:
Johnson responded to the post, saying in a statement, “Chicagoans have had more than enough of Trump’s blasphemous war in Iran. Someone should explain to the president that he’s only making it harder for working families to make ends meet.”
Johnson led a 46-member delegation to meet with the first American-born pope, a Chicago native. He also delivered him a little bit of home with gifts including giardiniera, honorary degrees from DePaul and Loyola universities, and a selection of Cubs memorabilia, which the pope graciously accepted, though he’s a known White Sox fan.
ADVERTISEMENTJohnson said he and the pope spoke about social justice and discussed the pope’s apologies regarding slavery, but in the end it boiled down to a conversation between two guys from Chicago, one a mayor and the other the leader of the Catholic Church.
Here’s some additional coverage:


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