Rep. Jamie Raskin hits back at JD Vance's comments on Pope Leo, says he has the 'right' to speak

Congressman Jamie Raskin pushed back on Vice President JD Vance's remarks on Pope Leo XIV, amidst the ongoing feud between President Donald Trump and the Vatican. Vance seemingly defended the president, saying that the pope should "stick to matters of morality" and leave American public policy to Trump. Criticising the remarks, Raskin pointed out that the pope is an American citizen and he has "every bit" as much right as the vice president to speak on American affairs. This comes hours after Raskin and 50 other Democrats pushed for the creation of a special commission that would work with Vance to remove Trump from office under the 25th Amendment. 

In a Fox Interview earlier this week, Vance, a Catholic, seemingly defended Trump's remarks on Pope Leo, saying, “It would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of what’s going on in the Catholic church and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy." The comments drew widespread criticism across the religious and political spectrum, with Raskin adding that Vance had no right to dictate what the pope should be talking about. “Pope Leo is a U.S. citizen with every bit as much right to speak about America as JD Vance has,” Raskin wrote in a post on X.

Trump lashed out at the pope on Sunday in a social media post calling the American-born pontiff “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” after he condemned the violence in the Middle East. Thus, Raskin noted the First Amendment provides the same protection to the pope as the president, who made several un-Christian-like remarks, including threats of "wiping out a civilisation". Raskin took one last jab at Vance, writing that the pope has "a much larger audience for his views in America (or Hungary!)" than the vice president, referring to his recent visit and campaign for Viktor Orbán in Budapest. 

The post came hours after Raskin, a House Judiciary Committee ranking member, led Democrats to push a co-sponsored bill that would create a special commission to remove Trump from office. Democratic lawmakers and other opponents have argued that the 79-year-old president is no longer fit to lead the country, following his threats, and the AI-generated picture that depicted him as a Christ-like figure. The bill is backed by 50 Democratic co‑sponsors, and it seeks to establish a 17‑member panel authorized under Section 4 of the 25th Amendment. 

“Public trust in Donald Trump’s ability to meet the duties of his office has dropped to unprecedented lows," Raskin wrote in a statement, mentioning the president's threats to Iran, the war in Middle-East, and his comments on the pope.  Raskin said in a statement. The panel, which will have members from both sides of the aisle, will still need Vance to sign off on the decision to remove the president, if they decide to do so.  “We are at a dangerous precipice, and it is now a matter of national security for Congress to fulfill its responsibilities under the 25th Amendment to protect the American people," Raskin added in his statement.