Ilhan Omar questions faith of Trump admin. amid papal dustup: 'Far from practicing Christianity'
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., condemned President Donald Trump on Thursday for his public tussle with Pope Leo XIV, accusing him and members of his administration of failing to live up to the tenets of Christianity.
“How deranged do you have to be to be upset with the pope for preaching about peace and love in the spirit of Jesus Christ?” Omar said in response to a question about members of the Trump administration criticizing the pope for his comments opposing war.
“It’s telling that these people who say they are people of faith are far from being people of faith and far from practicing Christianity and having respect for the Bible and religious leaders,” she said.
Nothing better than listening to a Muslim who married her brother, telling you about Jesus Christ.
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) April 16, 2026
Deport her! pic.twitter.com/yiHoXGWVkf
Trump and the U.S.-born pontiff have engaged in an ongoing public feud since the outbreak of the Iran war, with the pope repeatedly claiming God does not sanction warfare. Trump has pushed back by calling the pope “WEAK on Crime and terrible on foreign policy” on Sunday and criticizing his views again on Tuesday.
On Thursday, Trump claimed that while he’s “sure the pope is a great guy,” he fails to understand the geopolitical situation.
“The pope has to understand that this is the real world,” Trump said.
Other members of the Trump administration, including Catholics such as Vice President JD Vance and border czar Tom Homan, have responded to the pope by saying he should refrain from weighing in on U.S. politics and focus on ecclesiastical and moral issues.
During a Thursday homily while on tour in Africa, the pope pronounced woe on “those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.”
Omar also addressed the Trump administration's cancellation of an approximately $11 million federal contract this week with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami, which funded shelter, foster care placement and other services for unaccompanied migrant children.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) cited a steep decline in the number of unaccompanied children amid stricter border enforcement, according to Newsweek.
“ORR is closing and consolidating unused facilities as the Trump administration continues efforts to stop illegal entry and the smuggling and trafficking of unaccompanied alien children,” said HHS press secretary Emily G. Hillard.
Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski urged HHS to reconsider and said he wasn’t sure why the money had been cut off, but said the cancellation was “not because of the recent dustup between the Pope and President Trump.”
Omar implied the cancellation of the federal contract was more nefarious.
“We understand what these attacks are about, but people should hold on to their faith,” she said. “People should carry out the work of charity. And I do believe it is important for us, on this earth, to do as much as we can in caring for God’s children.”
PabloReports: They’ve been starting to strip Catholic charities of grants for migrant children, and they just took million yesterday from a Catholic Charities mission in Miami.
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 16, 2026
Omar: We understand what these attacks are about, but people should hold on to their faith. People… pic.twitter.com/e8Vj2BJCNg
Omar’s opinions were met with some pushback on social media, including evangelist Justin Peters, who said, “Pro tip: If you are being praised by Ilhan Omar, you’re doing theology wrong.”
Trump has been a longtime critic of Omar, whom he has called “a disgraceful person” and a “loser” who complains about the country that gave her asylum from the civil war in her native Somalia.
“It’s amazing the way people … I know it’s people [maybe] from her area of the world, I don’t know,” Trump said last September. “They got here and they voted her in. It’s hard to believe, but I think she’s a disgusting person.”
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
