Speaking at an Arizona airport on Wednesday, President Donald Trump wished Pope Leo XIV a fast recovery from lung cancer surgery and described the pope’s brother, Louis Prevost, as “a friend of mine.”
Trump was answering questions after a rally in Bullhead City. Asked for his reaction to the pope’s health, he said, “I want to see Pope Leo get well.” He added, “But the prognosis seems to be good, I’ve watched.” He then turned to Prevost and his wife. “They’re big Trump supporters,” he said, adding that Louis loves the pope a lot. He closed with, “I just want to wish him well. Get better fast.”
🗣️ Trump wishes Pope Leo XIV a speedy recovery: “Get better fast”
“It’s big stuff anytime you have cancer. But the prognosis seems to be good”
💬 “I just want to wish him well, get better fast” https://t.co/wCPGNPAtMW— ROME REPORTS (@romereports) October 15, 2026
The Vatican announced the diagnosis a day earlier. Surgeons removed the lower lobe of the pope’s right lung on Tuesday, and tests confirmed lung adenocarcinoma. The Vatican said, “The surgery was successful, and there were no complications.” The statement made no mention of further treatment, and the Vatican said doctors were not currently discussing chemotherapy or other therapies. The Vatican has canceled all of his audiences through October 20.
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Leo first disclosed the health issue on Sunday. “During some check-ups, doctors discovered a localized nodule on my lung,” he said. Oncologists said before the operation that if the nodule proved cancerous, his prognosis would be “excellent” because it would have been removed at an early stage. Dr. Spaggiari, who is not part of the pope’s team, said, “You can heal from a lung tumor.”
Louis Prevost’s own health became part of the story the same day. The Vatican announced Tuesday that Leo’s older brother, who lives in Florida, is currently hospitalized with a form of cancer. Their mother, Mildred, died of cancer in 1990.
Prevost has been in Trump’s orbit since his brother became pope. Trump and Vice President JD Vance met him and his wife, Deborah, at the White House on May 20, 2025. Before the meeting, Trump told reporters, “I like the pope and I like the pope’s brother.”
The president’s relationship with the pope himself has been rougher. The two have clashed in recent months, chiefly over the Iran war.
The dispute sharpened in April. After Trump posted a threat against Iran, Leo called it “truly unacceptable.” On April 12, Trump answered with a long Truth Social post. In it, he wrote, “I like his brother Louis much better than I like him.” The post also called Leo “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.”
( @realDonaldTrump – Truth Social Post )
( Donald J. Trump – Apr 12 2026, 9:03 PM ET )Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy. He talks about “fear” of the Trump Administration, but doesn’t mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian Organizations, had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everybody else, for holding Church Services, even when going outside, and being ten and even twenty feet apart. I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t! I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country. And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History. Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise. He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican. Unfortunately, Leo’s Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons, does not sit well with me, nor does the fact that he meets with Obama Sympathizers like David Axelrod, a LOSER from the Left, who is one of those who wanted churchgoers and clerics to be arrested. Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church! President DONALD J. TRUMP
— Fan Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 TRUTH POSTS (@TruthTrumpPosts) April 13, 2026
Featured image via X screengrab
