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Trump and Pope Leo clash as Chicago's Cardinal Cupich weighs in on Iran
Paris Schutz breaks down the back-and-forth between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV—and why Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich is taking a stand against the war in Iran.
CHICAGO - Darren Bailey, the Trump-supporting GOP candidate for governor in Illinois, criticized the president on Monday for his attacks on Pope Leo XIV and for posting an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure.
What they're saying:
Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday night to blast the Chicago-born pontiff for being "weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy," after Leo criticized the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
The president also posted an AI-generated image of himself in which he appears to be dressed like typical depictions of Jesus and putting his hand on a sick person. The post has since been deleted from his Truth Social account.
"I'm a Christian and I'm an Illinoisan. President Trump mocking a Chicago-born Pope and posting himself as Jesus Christ is wrong," Bailey wrote on social media. "I don't care whose name is attached to it—I'll always call it like I see it."
State Sen. Darren Bailey, the Republican nominee for Illinois governor, talks with the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board on Sept. 29, 2022. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
During his time in state politics, Bailey has been an ardent supporter of Trump, even borrowing policy ideas like a form of DOGE for Illinois if he were to be elected governor. But during this second attempt to unseat Gov. JB Pritzker, a frequent Trump critic, Bailey appears to have taken a more measured rhetorical approach.
Bailey said he’s running a "different campaign" compared to his first run in 2022, when he lost by double-digits to Pritzker, especially in the Chicago area. He's said the death of his son and multiple other family members in a helicopter crash was also "humbling."
Earlier this year, Bailey called out a post by the national GOP of an AI-generated image of Pritzker intended to mock the governor for his weight. Bailey responded, saying such mocking was "unnecessary, unproductive, and has no place in our politics."