The Pope, the media, and the "normalization" of Trump

 

The Pope, the media, and the "normalization" of Trump

October 18, 2025

By Robert Mickens

"I urge you: never sell out your authority!" Pope Leo XIV recently used those words to encourage journalists to fight for a free, independent, and objective press, urging them to stand up against "the ancient art of lying” and manipulation. He did so on October 9 in an address to MINDS International, a consortium of news agency executives. To be clear, history's first US-born pope never named any group or individuals he believed were doing this. But Donald Trump immediately leapt to my mind, and probably the minds of many others. The president of Leo's native country is easily the leading culprit, being far and away the most prominent world leader today who spreads lies and fake news in an attempt to manipulate others.