May 19, 2025 - Politics & Policy
Trump extends Pope Leo an invitation to visit the White House
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President Trump has invited newly inaugurated Pope Leo to the White House, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday.
Why it matters: If accepted, the visit would mark the first time a pope has visited the White House since Pope Francis visited then-President Obama in 2015.
- Vice President JD Vance gave Leo a letter containing the president and first lady Melania Trump's "warm wishes" and an invitation to the White House as soon as he could visit, Leavitt said.
- A visit from Leo, the first American-born pope, would mark the fourth visit to the White House by a pontiff. Pope John Paul II visited then-President Jimmy Carter in 1979, and Pope Benedict XVI visited then-President George W. Bush in 2008.
Catch up quick: In a recording, Leo was heard responding "at some point" when Vance gave him the letter, per AP.
- Vance, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other world leaders, attended Leo's inauguration Mass on Sunday. Vance led the U.S. delegation.
- Vance gave Leo a copy of two of St. Augustine's most seminal works and a Chicago Bears T-shirt with Leo's name on it, per AP. Leo gave Vance a bronze sculpture and a coffee table book featuring photos of the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace.
Zoom out: Leo is uniquely positioned to help ease divisions between Catholics in the U.S., Axios' Russell Contreras previously reported.
- He has been an outspoken defender of migrant rights, which could put him at odds with the Trump administration's deportation and anti-immigrant policies.
Go deeper: In photos: World leaders gather for Pope Leo XIV's inaugural Mass
