Interior Secretary Doug Burgum opened a new front in the Trump administration’s public dispute with the Vatican on Tuesday, dismissing Pope Leo XIV’s warning about artificial intelligence as the White House opposes new constraints on the rapidly developing technology.
“I didn’t know that technical editorial was part of the role of being Pope,” Burgum said, referring to Leo, in an interview on Fox Business. first encyclopediaA 42,300-word document that called for stronger AI oversight and warned that the technology could displace workers, deepen inequality and put lethal weapons decisions beyond human control.
But Vice President J.D. Vance, the highest-ranking Catholic in the Trump administration and one of the most prominent links to Silicon Valley, praised the same message in an interview with NBC, calling it “deeper” and saying the church should offer “moral leadership” at the dawn of the AI age.
The divided reaction underscores the delicate politics facing President Donald Trump as he makes AI dominance and regulation central to his second-term economic agenda, given the growing public feud with the first US Pope.
“The vice president now appears to be walking back his previous criticisms when he said Pope Leo needed to learn more theology,” said Peter Casarella, a theology professor at Duke Divinity School who studies AI. “They passed out on their skis and are rowing back.”
Leo’s comments follow Trump’s decision last week to delay an executive order that would have created a voluntary AI safety review process. Reversing his stance after pressure from the technology industry, Trump cited concerns that surveillance could slow America’s competitive edge against China.
Some Catholics have also warned that unchecked AI could overtake policymakers and worsen problems related to work, children, and family life.
Michael Toscano, director of the White House, said, “The so-called technocratic right, which is preventing the White House from doing something appropriate, I think will be exposed as wrong.” Family First Technology Initiative At the Institute for Family Studies, which supports the Pope’s push for more ethical AI guardrails. “I think the real danger is between now and November” when the US goes to the polls.
The AI battle is the latest flashpoint in an escalating battle between the White House and the Vatican.
Since becoming Pope, Leo has criticized Trump’s mass deportation effort, condemned the administration’s war in Iran and declined an invitation to join Trump’s “peace board”, saying the United Nations should remain at the center of crisis management.
Meanwhile, Trump has personally attacked Leo as “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy”, while accusing the Pope of promoting the “radical left”. Trump also posted a photo in which he depicts himself as Jesus Christ caring for a sick person. Leo responded that he had “no fear of the Trump administration.”
encyclicalThe rollout added another political wrinkle. Leo released the document along with Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah, the AI giant already at odds with the Trump administration after refusing to give the US military unrestricted access to its technology.
Anthropic did not respond to a request for comment.
“The back-and-forth conversation between the Pope and industry giants has rarely, if ever, been seen before,” said Paolo Carolazza, a law professor and co-chair of the program at the University of Notre Dame. of meta Member of the Oversight Board and Pope Francis-nominated member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. “This is a positive sign for many people.”
For Trump, the dispute with the Pope could create friction with Catholic voters, who are a key part of Trump’s coalition. In 2024, Trump got 55% Catholic voters, while Kamala Harris got 43% votes. Pew Research Center. Four years ago, Catholics were almost evenly divided, with 50% supporting Joe Biden and 49% supporting Trump.
The public dispute with the Pope is unlikely to immediately shift conservative Catholic support for Trump. Many conservative Catholics align with him on abortion, religious freedom, and cultural issues.
But repeated clashes with Leo on immigration, war and now AI could matter to Catholic voters, who are less strongly tied to either party, especially if the disputes center on workers, families and economic power.
“When you add inflation, gas, the war with Iran and then all of that, it’s just another reason to lose voters in their camp who really didn’t want to be there in the first place,” he said. Ryan BurgeA political scientist at Washington University in St. Louis who studies religion and politics.
Burge said this tension could be especially important in the midterm elections, when Catholic voters could play a bigger role in swing districts in places like Long Island, Pennsylvania and Ohio, where Republicans have made inroads.
“The Republican Party has to be careful who it supports and who it turns away,” Burge told CNBC. “After Christian white voters, Catholics may be the most important voters for Republicans.”
Another risk is that Democrats, labor groups and AI-safety advocates could use Leo’s warning to argue that the administration is too deferential to Silicon Valley and too dismissive of concerns about workers, families and national security.
“If I were a Democrat running in a heavily Catholic district in the midterms, Trump’s comments mocking the Pope would be all over the ads,” Burge said. “They write themselves.”