When it comes to raising the bar against someone Donald Trump is the first. Allied countries, enemies, entire civilizations, ethnic groups, individual characters: all are potential targets. This time the tycoon aimed at Pope Leo and “weak” was the nicest adjective used. Trump (who refuses to apologise) has attempted to attack the Holy Father not only on the magisterium, but also on his private life by calling into question his older brother Louis Martin Prevost who instead pleases his heart “Maga”. Let’s see why Trump launched himself into this confrontation and why today we are talking about an all in all predictable “schism”.
Who is Louis Martin Prevost
Trump’s attack is unprecedented against Leo XIV and to hit him he has brought attention to the pontiff’s family. In particular on his brother Louis Martin, who is the eldest of the three children of the Prevost family. Louis Martin is celebrated by the occupant of the White House as a true supporter of the “Make America Great Again” movement. Seventy-five years old, he has an Augustinian Catholic education. He graduated in 1969, before enlisting in the US Navy, of which he is currently a retired veteran.
Prevost’s older brother had already come to the attention of the media in conjunction with his brother’s election as successor to Pope Francis. The American site Daily Beast had brought to light some reposts on Facebook, in which the veteran addressed fiery words to some Dem representatives. Among these, there is the former speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who the pope’s brother defines as “a drunkard of s…”. Other posts shared on Facebook also included anti-vax content, memes comparing Biden to Hitler and posts questioning the results of the 2020 elections.
To confirm his political positioning, on May 21, 2025 Louis flew to Washington, where, together with his wife Deborah, he met President Trump and his deputy, JD Vance, in the Oval Office. And Trump says he “wants to shake his hand and give him a big hug.”
Even during an interview with the English journalist Piers Morgan, Prevost labels himself as a “Maga type”: “I published those posts and I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t believe in them.” Faced with the inevitable questions about his brother, he denies that he is “woke”, although he defines him as “much more progressive than me”. Then he adds: “The Pope is aware of my positions and knows that I will not change, except to moderate my tone.”
From that moment on, the eldest remained silent. In October 2025 he gave an interview to ABC, where he confessed not to intervene publicly on the issue of migrants, a central topic of his brother’s pontificate, “so as not to damage it”.
A sort of “pax” between brothers that Trump is trying to break. He doesn’t seem to have succeeded, at least not publicly. So far the only consequence has been criticism of Trump himself, even from friends like Giorgia Meloni.
Predictable schism
It is not surprising that Trump has completely lost his diplomatic tone. And, upon closer inspection, the frictions with Prevost have always been there for all to see. Immediately after the election, the White House ensured that there was “no hard feelings” between Trump and the pontiff, despite previous critical posts by the then cardinal towards the president and vice president JD Vance, underlining indeed the pride in an American pope.
A few days later, on May 12, Trump himself fueled the controversy by suggesting, with a post on the social network Truth, that he had played a role in Leone’s election, also claiming the weight of the Catholic vote in the United States. However, on May 19th a relaxing signal arrived on an institutional level: the president officially invited Leo XIV to the White House, with a letter delivered by the vice president.
On October 8, the pontiff spoke on the migration issue, relating to the border between Mexico and the United States, stating that the Church “cannot remain silent” in the face of injustices. The reference is to the deportation policies announced by Trump.
On 9 December Leone then expressed his opinion on the Ukraine dossier, judging a peace agreement without Europe to be “unrealistic”; a position marking a distance from the American line.
With the beginning of 2026 the confrontation intensifies. On January 9, in his speech to the accredited diplomatic corps, Prevost denounced that “war is back in fashion and a war fervor is spreading” while the “borders are being invaded”: these are the days of US ambitions on Greenland.
On January 19, three US cardinals attacked Trump’s policies, calling them “destructive”. The following month, on February 17, the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, announced that the Vatican would not take part in the “Board of Peace” for Gaza to which he had been invited by the Americans. The following day the White House deemed the choice “deeply unpleasant”, claiming the non-political nature of the initiative.
On March 31, Leone directly quoted Trump, inviting him, after his declarations on the desire to put an end to the conflicts and “return to the table” of negotiations. Finally, the most recent implications with the Pope defining Trump’s threat to Iran as “unacceptable” when he said “An entire civilization is about to die” when launching his ultimatum. Little surprise therefore for a duel that remains irregular at least in terms of tone.