Scott Jennings blasted the left’s newfound deference to religion following the pope’s criticism of U.S. policy toward Iran. He argued that many rushed to frame it as a political condemnation of the war rather than a moral critique and pointed to the irony that those who routinely invoke the separation of church and state are now quick to elevate a religious figure when it suits their political arguments.
Jennings went on to say that the United States is not a theocracy and that disagreements between presidents and popes have been consistent throughout history. He argued that such differences don’t determine whether a conflict is justified, adding that President Trump sees stopping Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon as both a moral imperative and a national security necessity, even if the pope does not.
🚨 JENNINGS DROPS TRUTH ON CNN!
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) April 17, 2026
“We’re not a theocracy in the United States. We have separation of church and state.
It may be that the American left is trying to turn us into a theocracy.”
Boom! Spot on! pic.twitter.com/mOKoC1ITCG
"Scott, what do you make of what the father said?" CNN's Kaitlan Collins asked. "I think he made some compelling arguments there."
"Yeah, I would counter and say that, A, we're not a theocracy in the United States," Jennings said. "Although our commanders in chief and military leaders often pray to God for success in battle. It's happened since George Washington knelt in the snow at Valley Forge."
"We aren't a theocracy. We have separation of church and state. It may be that the American left is trying to, you know, turn us into a theocracy, which would be quite a development," he continued. "But he's a president of the United States, which is a political office. The pope is a faith leader. Those are two different things, and they have had some disagreements, presidents and popes in the past."
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"I mean, I think of Dwight Eisenhower's Order of the Day, D-Day, 1944: Let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking. I think every American believes that our invasion of France was a great and noble undertaking and that it was fully appropriate for Eisenhower to ask God to support our just and noble cause."
"The president believes that it is a righteous, noble, moral cause to keep these fanatics in Iran from having a nuclear weapon," Jennings added. "And that is the decision he's made as a political officer of the United States."
This comes as the pope and President Trump have continued to clash on X, after the pope wrote that “God does not bless any conflict.” Trump fired back, calling the pope’s foreign policy views “terrible.”
The president has since argued that he has every right to disagree with the pope, while also questioning why the religious leader appears to overlook the tens of thousands of Iranians killed by their own regime, yet remains focused on criticizing how the United States is confronting it.
.@POTUS: "I have nothing against the Pope... If the Pope looked at the 42,000 people that were killed over the last two or three months, as [protesters] with no weapons, no nothing... I have a right to disagree with the Pope." pic.twitter.com/HxbX1oK4Uh
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 16, 2026
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