JD Vance warned Pope Leo to “be careful” when opining on matters of theology, following a series of high-profile clashes between the leader of the Catholic Church and President Donald Trump over the past few days.
During a Turning Point USA event in Georgia on Tuesday, the vice president also acknowledged that some voters don’t “love” the Middle East conflict, defended Erika Kirk against “disgusting” attacks and sparred with a heckler who accused the administration of committing genocide.
The remarks — delivered on stage at the Akins Ford Arena, where vast rows of seats remained empty — capped a bruising few days for Vance.
On Saturday, he spent hours negotiating with Iranian leaders in Islamabad — as President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio watched a UFC fight in Miami — only to admit on Sunday that talks had collapsed.
That same day, Viktor Orbán lost Hungary’s election, just one week after Vance traveled to Budapest to boost support for the conservative leader, who had been the administration’s top ally in Europe.
Pope should ‘be careful’
Early on during the interview, TPUSA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet asked Vance to weigh in on the prominent spat between the pope and the president.
Over the weekend, before sharing an image casting himself as Jesus, Trump unleashed a lengthy tirade against the Bishop of Rome, accusing him of being “terrible for foreign policy,” following his denunciation of the Iran war.
Leo, the first U.S.-born pontiff, responded by saying he has “no fear of the Trump administration.” Earlier in the month, he wrote on X, “Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”
Vance said he actually likes it when the pope comments on matters of policy because it invites debate. He said he has disagreed with Leo on a number of occasions, including most recently on the Middle East war.
“How can you say that God was never on the side of those who wield the sword?” Vance questioned. “Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis? Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated Holocaust camps?”
He said he believes the answer is yes, while highlighting the concept of “just war theory.”
Vance, a former atheist who converted to Catholicism in 2019, then questioned Leo’s doctrinal chops. Leo spent nearly 50 years working in the church, including as a priest, a missionary and a cardinal, before being elected pontiff last year.
“In the same way it’s important for the vice president of the United States to be careful when I talk about matters of public policy, I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology,” he said.
‘A ton of progress’ on ending Iran war
The vice president also spent a large chunk of time addressing the Iran war, which has engulfed large swaths of the Middle East in violence and triggered fears of global economic upheaval.
“Right now the ceasefire is holding,” Vance said. He added that he “made a ton of progress” during this past weekend’s negotiations in Pakistan.
“[Trump] really wants a deal where Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapon, Iran is not state sponsoring terrorism, but also the people of Iran can thrive and prosper and join the world economy,” he continued. “I’m gonna keep on fighting to make it happen.”
At the same time, the vice president, who has previously spoken out against foreign military interventions, said he recognized that the war is not universally backed.
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“I recognize that a lot of young voters don’t love the policy that we have in the Middle East,” he said. But he pointed to accomplishments on other issues, including the sharp drop in illegal crossings at the southern border.
Multiple recent polls show that not just young people, but a majority of Americans, are opposed to the deadly conflict.
While the vice president continued talking about the war, a man in the audience began shouting, accusing the administration of “killing children” in Gaza.
In response, the former Ohio senator accused former President Joe Biden of permitting an “absolute catastrophe” in Gaza, while boasting that Trump had been the one to broker a peace deal.
‘Disgusting’ attacks against Erika Kirk
The interview kicked off with 41-year-old vice president defending TPUSA CEO Erika Kirk — the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk — from recent attacks.
A number of influential commentators, including Candace Owens, have accused Erika Kirk of profiting off her husband’s death, while showing little grief. Some have even insinuated, without evidence, that she may have played a role in his death.
“Everybody is attacking her over everything and they’re lying about her, and it’s one of the most disgraceful things I’ve ever seen in public life,” Vance said. “To say that Erika Kirk wasn’t grieving her husband that day, to say that Erika Kirk is somehow complicit in it is so preposterous and so disgusting.”
Erika Kirk was supposed to appear alongside Vance at the event on Tuesday, but she bowed out after receiving “very serious threats,” according to event organizers.
“I was so looking forward to tonight’s event,” she wrote on X. “But after all our family has been through, I take my security team’s recommendations extremely seriously.”
Owens, however, claimed the TPUSA CEO pulled out because of lackluster ticket sales. “Were there actually a viable threat, the Vice President would not have continued the event,” she wrote on X.
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