Donald Trump says he was surprised to hear reports that the pope had badmouthed his immigration policies, and blamed the Mexican government for the public feud.
One day after handily winning South Carolina’s Republican primary, Trump was asked Sunday by “Face the Nation” host John Dickerson if he thought his dust-up with Pope Francis helped his performance in the Palmetto State.
“I’m asked that question so much. I just don’t know,” Trump replied. “First, I was in a state of shock because I’ve never seen the pope talk about something as unimportant as Donald Trump, okay? And I was like, ‘The pope is talking about me? This can’t be happening.'”
Last week, Pope Francis was asked by a reporter following a six-day visit to Mexico, including a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, whether a “good Catholic” could vote for Trump for president. Anyone who “thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian,” was Francis’ reply.
Trump called the pope’s comments “disgraceful.” Her fired back that he wants to build a wall along the southern border like the “massive” walls around the Vatican.
Despite being told the public feud would drag down his campaign just days before the “first-in-the-South” primary, Trump said he realized the conflict resulted from miscommunication.
“I came out very strongly that we want a border and the Mexican government probably convinced him that Donald Trump was saying ‘not nice things about the border,'” Trump said. “And I think it worked out well. I don’t think it was a positive, though, I think it was probably a neutral.”
“It could have been a tremendous negative,” Trump added. “But it turned out to be probably neutral.”
A Vatican spokesman later walked back Francis’ comment, explaining that the pope was “in no way” specifically condemning Trump, adding that the pope was only stating his long-held belief that migrants should be helped, not shut out behind walls.
Trump said Sudnay that the Pope was “very nice” for issuing “a very nice statement.”
