Trump: 'The pope is a very political person'
Donald Trump is hitting Pope Francis over his upcoming visit to the U.S.-Mexican border.
Not even Pope Francis is free from the wrath of Donald Trump.
The Republican presidential front-runner slammed the leader of the Roman Catholic Church for his visit to the U.S.-Mexico border next week.
Trump said in an interview on Fox Business Network Thursday "that the pope is a very political person."
He put the blame for the pope's historic visit to the border on the Mexican government, claiming that Mexico most likely directed the pontiff to make a trip to the border because it is worried that the U.S. will crack down on migrants.
Immigration and border security have been two hallmarks of the billionaire real estate mogul’s presidential campaign. On the stump, Trump has repeatedly promised to build a wall along the length of southern border and immediately deport all of the estimated 11 million people living in the country illegally.
“I don’t think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico,” Trump said. “I think Mexico got him to do it because they want to keep the border just the way it is. They’re making a fortune, and we’re losing.”
This is not the first time that Trump has criticized Pope Francis.
Last year, before the pontiff’s visit to the U.S., Trump said that if Francis ever tried to lecture him on the evils of capitalism, he would warn him that the Islamic State wanted to invade the Vatican.
While they may have their differences, Trump responded to a question about how he feels about Francis with an answer that he has used many times this campaign season to describe his rivals.
“I like him,” Mr. Trump said. “He seems like a pretty good guy.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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