Pope Leo XIV used his inaugural American television appearance since becoming pontiff to deliver a message celebrating immigration and America’s welcoming tradition — remarks that stand in stark opposition to the current administration’s restrictive border policies. The 70-year-old Chicago native, who made history as the first U.S.-born pope, sat down for an interview with NBC anchor Tom Llamas in the Borgo Laudato Si’ papal gardens outside Rome, which aired on Wednesday.
When Llamas questioned what the pontiff cherishes about his homeland, Leo spoke of foundational American values before emphasizing one particular aspect: the country’s longstanding practice of “having invited for generations people from around the world to be part of America.” The timing proved significant, coming amid President Donald Trump’s aggressive push to curtail immigration.
Personal Roots in Immigration
Drawing on genealogical research from the previous year, the pontiff connected his views to family history. “I come from a family that—my grandparents were immigrants. On my mother’s side, we have people who were both slaves and slave owners,” he said. That heritage, he explained, informs his understanding of what he considers among America’s most valuable attributes, and he pledged to continue upholding traditional American principles.
Though NBC’s Lester Holt conducted a conversation with Leo during a media gathering for international journalists the previous year, Wednesday’s broadcast represented the religious leader’s first appearance on U.S. television following his election. His unique status as the only American ever elected pope lends particular authority to his observations about domestic policy.
Ongoing Conflict With Trump Administration
Relations between the Vatican and the White House have grown increasingly strained. Trump has publicly attacked Leo as “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.” Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism as an adult, has questioned the pope’s grasp of doctrinal matters. Meanwhile, Leo has branded the administration’s immigration approach “inhuman.”
The pontiff maintains he fears nothing from the current government and will continue proclaiming gospel teachings, which he identifies as the church’s fundamental duty. White House officials offered no immediate response to the interview.
A Symbolic Rejection of Washington’s Invitation
Despite Trump’s hostile language toward him, Leo received an invitation to attend the nation’s 250th anniversary festivities in Washington. Instead, the Vatican revealed plans for him to visit Lampedusa, Italy — the country’s southernmost territory and arrival point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea.
On July 4, 2026, Leo participated in a procession and celebrated Holy Mass on that island. Vatican officials characterized the decision as intentional. Father Antonio Spadaro, undersecretary at the Vatican’s office responsible for culture and education, explained the selection as an American pope choosing on his nation’s holiday not to commemorate territorial boundaries but to position himself at what he termed the wounded threshold of the Mediterranean. The gesture itself, Spadaro suggested, constituted an unofficial declaration.
Spadaro characterized the journey as providing an alternative vision rather than direct confrontation. He noted it occurred when the United States had elevated the exclusion of migrants to flagship policy — circumstances an American pope grasped intimately. According to Spadaro, Leo avoids accusatory rhetoric but emphasizes that divine-given human dignity supersedes any boundary.
In written correspondence sent to the United States before the anniversary, Leo articulated the matter through Catholic doctrine. He contended that safeguarding human life demands nations receive, shelter and support those crossing frontiers seeking refuge. He maintained that extending kindness and hospitality toward migrants acknowledges the intrinsic value possessed by all individuals.
Collectively, the broadcast conversation, written correspondence and Lampedusa pilgrimage outline a unified Vatican stance — responding to the administration’s enforcement measures not through direct confrontation but through unwavering emphasis on migrants’ moral standing. For a pope sharing the president’s birthplace, disagreement over what constitutes American greatness has emerged as one of the sharpest points of contention between Rome and Washington.