TJ Madsen is among the founding members of the New Herald Tribune and chairs the editorial board. He worked for national syndicated newspapers in Newark, Philadelphia, and Baltimore before moving to the midwest.
May 8 , 2025
Palm Beach, FL — President Donald Trump is reportedly "livid" after the Vatican announced the election of a new pope on the same day he unveiled what he called a "historic and tremendous" post-Brexit trade deal with the United Kingdom.
According to aides familiar with the situation, Trump had been planning the joint press conference with British officials for weeks, touting the agreement as a "game-changer" that would "redefine global trade." However, mere hours before Trump’s scheduled remarks from his Mar-a-Lago estate, white smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel, signaling the selection of Pope Leo XIV — the first non-European pontiff in over a century.
Sources close to the former president say he immediately lashed out at what he perceived as "sabotage by Rome."
"They had plenty of days to do this. Why today? It’s suspicious — very suspicious," Trump allegedly told confidants, according to one aide who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We had the whole world ready to watch the deal. Then boom, white smoke, and suddenly nobody’s covering it. Frankly, it's very disrespectful."
Despite the coincidental timing, there is no indication the Vatican intentionally sought to overshadow Trump’s announcement. Vatican officials maintain the conclave’s timing was dictated solely by internal ecclesiastical procedures following Pope Francis’s unexpected resignation last month.
Still, Trump took to Truth Social Wednesday evening to express his discontent.
“Just announced the biggest trade deal in decades — massive benefits for the U.S. and our friends in the UK. But FAKE NEWS only cares about the new pope. Very unfair!!! #RiggedMedia #GodCanWait”
The tweet was met with a mix of criticism and bemusement online, with some commenters accusing Trump of being insensitive, while others noted the irony of complaining about papal timing in the context of international diplomacy.
British officials, for their part, remained diplomatic. Prime Minister Nigel Farrow’s office issued a statement congratulating the new pope and reaffirming the strength of the newly forged Anglo-American trade alliance. “We are confident that both events will stand on their own merit,” the statement read.
While Trump’s deal — which includes reduced tariffs on agricultural exports and a major framework for AI collaboration — was indeed significant, it was largely drowned out in global media coverage by scenes of celebration in Vatican City and religious leaders hailing the start of a new papal era.
When asked whether the President planned to reschedule any events to regain media attention, an aide said, “We’re considering a rally. Possibly with more fireworks.”
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