Within the MAGA Movement, Some Perceive Pope Leo as an Opponent

When Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was chosen as Pope on Thursday, President Trump issued a hearty welcome to the first U.S.-born pontiff.

“It’s a tremendous honor to have an American Pope,” Mr. Trump declared in a statement. “What a thrilling moment.”

However, not all of Mr. Trump’s staunch supporters share his enthusiasm.

Close on the heels of Cardinal Prevost’s emergence as the new Pope Leo XIV from the conclave, leaders of the MAGA movement began portraying him as an adversary.

Laura Loomer, a far-right activist with significant influence, posted on social media that Leo’s reign would mirror that of his predecessor, whom she labeled “anti-Trump, anti-MAGA, pro-open Borders, and a total Marxist.”

“Catholics have nothing to look forward to,” she stated. “Just another Marxist puppet in the Vatican.”

And Friday, guests on Steve Bannon’s right-wing podcast, “War Room,” questioned Leo’s vision, emphasizing his progressive leanings and potential discord with Mr. Trump.

A staunch supporter of the president, Mr. Bannon remarked to the BBC, “It’s quite astonishing,” hinting at the inevitable conflict between Leo and Mr. Trump.

Cardinal Prevost was a long shot for the papacy, but Mr. Bannon seemed less taken aback than he suggested. He foretold the cardinal’s rise, observing his alignment with Francis and ties to Latin America.

Although much of Leo’s personal politics remain unclear, he has voted in Illinois, showing support for Republican candidates, suggesting ideological consistency with many conservative values.

Yet, the new pope had expressed discomfort with Mr. Trump’s stance on immigration. A social media post under his name critiqued Vice President JD Vance’s interpretation of Christian doctrine to endorse mass deportation. (The Times couldn’t independently verify his management of the account.)

In a conversation with The New York Times, Leo’s brother, John Prevost, confirmed that Leo was “dissatisfied with the current immigration policies.”

On other issues, Leo’s views appear more aligned with American social conservatives. In a 2012 address, he voiced concern over what he termed the “homosexual lifestyle” and lamented aspects of modern culture at odds with Gospel teachings.

His predecessor, Francis, who passed away two weeks prior, often clashed with conservative American Catholics, perceiving their values as marginalized.

Francis frequently voiced his disapproval of Mr. Trump’s policies, censuring family separations at the border as immoral and warning against the isolationist stance.

Joan Frances Plum, a cousin of Leo’s, stated that the new Pope would emulate Francis. “I believe Francis recognized a kindred spirit in him, which is why he was called to the Vatican,” she remarked about her cousin, now an influential figure in the Vatican.