PAPAL PROJECTION: ABC Wishcasts Trump Resistance Upon Pope Leo XIV

Jorge Bonilla
May 11th, 2025 3:06 PM

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Despite warnings to the contrary, ABC News continues to inject American politics into their coverage of the papacy. The most Trump-averse of the legacy networks continues to wishcast their desire that Pope Leo XIV become an anti-Trump Resistance figure. 

The May 11th edition of This Week was to be a special edition broadcast from The Vatican, focusing on the historic papacy of the man formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, the first pope born in the United States, other than a brief aside to cover potential Russia-Ukraine peace talks. And there was broad coverage of the pope’s early life, and a recap of the broader coverage we’ve seen over the course of the past week.

But, inevitably for the most stridently anti-Trump of the legacy networks, the subject conversation unfortunately veered to domestic politics.

Watch as Martha Raddatz opens the door for political talk during her interview with Blaise Cardinal Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago: 

MARTHA RADDATZ: And, of course, Pope Francis cared so much about the poor and migrants. Pope Leo does as well. In some ways, will he be a counterbalance for what’s happening in American politics right now and President Trump?

BLAISE CUPICH: I think he’s going to help complete and complement our political agenda. He’ll talk a lot about the immigrants as well because he knows about the sufferings of people and the real needs that they have for a better life.

And he knows too that people in Oceania, for instance, where the -- the rising sea levels are just -- getting -- overwhelming those islands, where people are trying to escape, he sees the drug trade that’s happening in Central and South America where there are weapons form the United States going there. He knows that those people need an option. And he’ll call for, I think, as the bishops have in the United States, fixing this broken immigration system.

Cupich indulged Raddatz’ question, but was careful to steer it away from the personal (resistance to Trump), making his response about the agenda of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, particularly on immigration. 

Raddatz then brought the same question before the panel, and Terry Moran took the bait:

RADDATZ: And Terry and Liz, do you think he will serve in some ways as a counter to President Trump on those policies?

TERRY MORAN: Reluctantly. Right? They are the two most famous Americans in the world right now. And arguably, Pope Leo might be even more famous than President Trump and whether the Pope wants it or not, because I think he wants to preach the Gospel and do the good work of the church. They have different approaches naturally in some ways, and I think that is going to come out.

He will be a voice for the teachings of Jesus, which in many ways, many Catholics believe are not consistent with some of the president's policies. That will happen. I don't think he's going to go look for a fight, but it will happen.

Here again, the legacy media aim to create strife among persons of faith by framing discussions of popes and policy as oppositional to Republicans in office. They are very happy to cast Leo XIV as a “Trump resister” on immigration. 

The day will come, however, when Leo gets asked about abortion, gay marriage, transgenderism, euthanasia, or any other among a slew of hot-button social issues. And the legacies will have no other choice than to dejectedly report that yes, in fact, the pope is still Catholic.

Exit question: did Terry Moran ever correct his early and now debunked reporting about the pope being a Cubs fan?

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