Trump takes aim at the Pope again as Iran war spirals

Chris Hayes hosts a scathing critique of Donald Trump's escalating conflict with Pope Leo, framing it as a symptom of his reckless foreign policy and moral recklessness. Trump's attacks on the Pope—particularly over the Holy Father's criticism of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran—highlight a broader pattern of authoritarian behavior, including the pardoning of five child predators and the commutation of seditious conspiracy convictions for January 6th rioters. Hayes argues that Trump's war, launched without congressional approval or diplomatic strategy, has caused massive civilian casualties, destabilized the global economy, and alienated U.S. allies. The episode documents how Europe, including the UK and France, is now forming a coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz without American involvement—a move Trump calls 'sad,' underscoring U.S. isolation. Former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland echoes this concern, warning that America’s self-imposed isolation under Trump weakens global democracy and emboldens authoritarianism. The segment also examines the Republican Party’s failure to hold accountable its own members, particularly Florida Representative Cory Mills, who faces multiple allegations of domestic violence and sexual misconduct, despite a lack of criminal charges. Meanwhile, the detention of American-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shehab Eldin in Kuwait for sharing a publicly available video of a U.S. fighter jet crash underscores the global erosion of press freedom, especially under a U.S. administration that has shown hostility toward the press. Hayes concludes that the crisis is not just foreign policy failure, but a moral collapse of democratic norms.