You Come at the Pope, You Best Not Miss

slate.com|April 16, 2026 at 12:02 PM|150 views

Inverted Agency

How They Deceive You

Propaganda

Relies on unverified claims of Trump threatening the Pope and inverts agency to frame a mutual public spat as one-sided Trump aggression, omitting key context.

Main Device

Inverted Agency

Title and notes cast Trump as the unprovoked aggressor 'coming at' the Pope, despite the Pope's prior public criticisms of US policy prompting Trump's response.

Archetype

Liberal anti-Trump Catholic pundit

Promotes guest Christopher Hale, a Democrat ex-candidate and DNC delegate, who frames Pope Leo XIV as a bulwark against right-wing Catholic media and Trump.

This episode deceives by peddling unverified claims and inverting agency to portray Trump as bullying an uncowed Pope, hiding the Pope's initiating criticisms.

Writer's Worldview

“Liberal anti-Trump Catholic pundit”

4 findings · 2 omissions · 4 sources compared

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Narrative Analysis

Slate's 'What Next?' podcast episode notes frame a public policy spat between Trump and Pope Leo XIV as a one-sided Trump bullying attempt, but this relies on unverified claims and inverted agency, overshadowing the mutual exchange it actually was.

Key Techniques and Evidence

Slate's episode notes and title employ loaded framing and unverified assertions to cast Trump as aggressor:

Unverified claim: Notes state Trump "has finally run into someone he can’t silence, threaten, or sully." No evidence supports Trump attempting these against the Pope; web searches for related terms yield zero results.

"In Pope Leo XIV, Donald Trump has finally run into someone he can’t silence, threaten, or sully. He’s not taking it gracefully."

Inverted agency: Title "You Come at the Pope, You Best Not Miss" implies Trump initiated unprovoked attacks. In reality, Pope Leo XIV first publicly criticized U.S. Iran policy; Trump responded publicly (PBS NewsHour, Apr 13, 2026).

Partisan guest without disclosure: Features Christopher Hale of "Letters from Leo" Substack, who self-identifies as a Democrat, 2020 congressional candidate, DNC delegate, and Obama-Biden alum. His Substack positions the Pope's papacy as intersecting with (and countering) Trump's presidency, appealing to left-leaning Catholics—yet no mention of these affiliations.

Editorializing: Phrase "not taking it gracefully" judges Trump's demeanor without evidence; his actual White House remarks were measured, refusing apology for a public response (PBS transcript).

These build a narrative of Trump failing at habitual strong-arming, priming listeners before the discussion.

Omitted Verifiable Facts and Impact

Two concrete facts alter the one-sided portrayal:

Pope initiated public criticism: Leo XIV first opposed U.S. military actions in Iran, prompting Trump's response. (PBS: Trump: "He went public. I'm just responding.")
Why it matters: Shows a standard policy debate exchange, not unprovoked "coming at" the Pope.

Bipartisan pushback on Pope: Trump allies like JD Vance ("stick to matters of morality") and Elise Stefanik ("stay out of politics") criticized the Pope's intervention in U.S. affairs. (Fox News, Apr 2026.)
Why it matters: Reveals mutual criticism, not Trump uniquely aggressive.

Guest and Source Context

Christopher Hale brings expertise: 15+ years writing on faith/politics for Newsweek/Time, co-founder of Millennial Catholics, 29K+ Substack subscribers. His "Letters from Leo" surged amid Trump-era Church developments. However, his Democratic credentials (ex-candidate, DNC delegate) align with framing the Pope as a Trump foil, undisclosed here.

Other Outlets' Coverage

PBS NewsHour (link): Chronological, neutral—verbatim quotes, event sequence, deleted post context. No spin on "bullying."
The Hill (link): "Escalating feud" with focus on Trump's political risks to Catholic voters; omits quotes, emphasizes U.S. fallout.
NBC Today.com (link): Stresses "bipartisan backlash" against defiant Trump; no direct quotes.
YouTube clip (link): Descriptive title on Trump's Iran critique; neutral preview.

Slate stands out for dramatic, Trump-critical flair versus PBS's fact-focused restraint.

Bottom line: The episode notes effectively spotlight faith-politics tensions with a timely, popular guest, but undermine credibility via unsubstantiated claims and omissions that flip the dispute's agency. Listeners get an engaging take, yet one skewed toward character critique over policy substance—cross-check with primary quotes for balance.

**Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost)** is the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City, with his pontificate beginning on May 18, 2025 (Vatican.va). Born in Chicago in 1955, he is the first U.S.-born pope, the first to hold U.S. or Peruvian citizenship, and the first f...

**Summary of Trump-Pope Leo XIV Interactions (April 2026)** Pope Leo XIV, identified as the first U.S.-born pope and head of the Catholic Church (PBS NewsHour, Apr 13, 2026; Democracy Now!, Apr 14, 2026), publicly opposed the U.S. war in Iran, urging peace (PBS). On April 13, 2026, President Donald...

**"Letters from Leo" Substack by Christopher Hale** The Substack newsletter "Letters from Leo — the American Pope US Politics," authored by Christopher Hale at https://www.thelettersfromleo.com/, chronicles "how Pope Leo XIV’s papacy intersects with American politics, faith, and the digital age dur...

Source: What Next Slate podcast

What Next is a daily news analysis podcast produced by Slate, hosted by Mary Harris with prior experience at NPR, Marketplace, and WNYC, featuring over 1,500 episodes and average ratings of 4.3/5 from 2.4K Apple Podcasts reviews and 3.7/5 from 1.1K Spotify reviews. The podcast promotes Slate Plus subscriptions for ad-free access and bonus content, potentially incentivizing listener retention over independent verification.

Source: Slate

Slate, founded in 1996, is an ad-supported online magazine with a membership model featuring a metered paywall for non-US readers. It has received National Magazine Awards, though specifics are not detailed. It is known for 'Slate Pitches,' contrarian arguments that have drawn criticism, including a 'Monkeyfishing' article controversy.

Source: Christopher Hale

Christopher Hale is a political consultant with over a decade of contributions to Newsweek and Time on faith and politics. He runs the 'Letters from Leo' Substack newsletter on Pope Leo XIV, boasting 29K+ subscribers and surging popularity among young people, non-Catholics, and media influencers. However, his strong Democratic affiliations raise questions about incentives to frame the pope primarily as a moral bulwark against authoritarianism for Democratic audiences.

Searching for "Trump Pope Leo XIV criticism site:foxnews.com OR site:newsmax.com OR site:breitbart.com OR site:dailywire.com"

Find right-leaning coverage of the Trump-Pope Leo XIV dispute for comparison

Searching for ""Trump" "silence" OR "threaten" OR "sully" "Pope Leo XIV""

Verify if Trump attempted to silence, threaten, or sully the Pope

Searching for "Pope Leo XIV stance on crime"

Context on Trump's claim that Pope is weak on crime

Comparing coverage of "Trump criticizes Pope Leo XIV over Iran"

Searching for "Christopher Hale bias OR criticism "Letters from Leo""

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