President Trump gave Pope Francis a first-edition set of Martin Luther King Jr.’s writings on Wednesday during their meeting at the Vatican, and the pope gave Trump books he usually gives out as gifts to heads of state.
According to the White House, Trump gave the pope MLK’s “Stride Toward Freedom” (1958), “The Measure of a Man” (1959), “The Strength to Love” (1963), “Why We Can’t Wait” (1964) and “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?” (1967).
“This is a gift for you,” the president said. “These are books from Martin Luther King. I think you will enjoy them.”
Trump also gave the pope a hand-made bronze sculpture crafted by an American artist.
In return, the pope gave Trump three documents: Amoris Laetitia, Evangelii Gaudium and Laudato Si’. He also gave Trump this year’s World Day of Peace message about nonviolence.
“I signed it personally for you,” the pope said.
“Ooh,” Trump replied. “That’s so beautiful.”
Reporters were not able to listen to the substance of the meeting. A pool reporter said the mood “appeared stiff” and the pope “was rather stone-faced” when reporters were let in for a viewing, but “the mood lightened considerably” during a gift exchange.
“Thank you,” Trump told the pope in front of reporters as he left. “Thank you. I won’t forget what you said.”
First Lady Melania Trump, wearing a black, lace, tea-length dress and black lace veil, was heard telling the pope about her upcoming visit to a Rome hospital, saying: “I’m going to the hospital.”
The pope was heard asking the first lady about Trump: “What do you give him to eat, potizza?”
“Potizza,” she repeated, speaking of a treat from her native Slovenia.
Other administration officials and advisers met the pope, including daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and national security adviser H.R. McMaster. Aides Hope Hicks, Dan Scavino, Brian Hook and Keith Schiller were also there. The pope handed out tokens in white boxes to each member of the delegation.
Trump also met Wednesday with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. According to the White House, Trump focused “on how the United States, the Holy See, and the international community can work together to combat terrorism.”
“The pope and the president discussed how religious communities can combat human suffering in crisis regions, such as Syria, Libya, and ISIS-controlled territory,” a statement from the White House said. “The president affirmed that the United States and the Holy See share many fundamental values and seek to engage globally to promote human rights, combat human suffering, and protect religious freedom.”
The White House also said Trump discussed plans to spend more than $300 million in anti-famine spending in Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Nigeria.
After his visit with the pope, Trump privately met with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at Quirinal Palace and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni at Villa Taverna.
Asked at Villa Taverna by a reporter how the meeting went with the pope, Trump said: “Great.”
“He is something,” Trump said of the pope. “We had a fantastic meeting.”
Mentioning the prime minister, Trump said: “We’re liking Italy very, very much and it was an honor to be with the pope.”
Wednesday’s meeting follows contentious exchanges between Trump and Pope Francis during the 2016 presidential campaign after the pope criticized then-candidate Trump’s immigration policies and advocacy for building a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border.
“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not of building bridges, is not Christian,” Francis said in February of last year when a reporter asked him about Trump. “This is not the gospel.”
Trump responded to the pope in a scathing statement.
“For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful,” Trump said, adding that the pope hadn’t considered his argument on immigration.
“The pope only heard one side of the story — he didn’t see the crime, the drug trafficking and the negative economic impact the current policies have on the United States,” Trump said at the time.
Trump is on the third leg of his foreign trip, following visits, meetings and speeches in Saudi Arabia and Israel over the last several days. He arrived in Rome on Tuesday.
The president is scheduled to continue his foreign trip by flying to Brussels for meetings with European officials later Wednesday.
