U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 8th (local time) regarding the election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost (69) from the United States as the new pope, "It is a great honor for this country."
President Trump expressed his congratulations on the election of the new pope through his social media platform, Truth Social. He noted, "It is truly an honor to learn that he is the first American pope," adding, "What an exciting event, and how great an honor it is for our country."
The president also said, "I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV," stating, "It will be a very meaningful moment."
Pope Leo XIV was born in 1955 in Chicago, United States. He was ordained as a priest in 1982. Although he holds U.S. citizenship, he served as a missionary in Peru for 20 years and obtained Peruvian citizenship in 2015, being appointed as Archbishop of Peru.
There are also analyses suggesting that his actions have led to the birth of the first pope from the United States. According to the Associated Press, there was an atmosphere that regarded an American pope as a taboo due to the fact that the U.S. exerts the strongest "secular" influence globally. The British Telegraph also cited Vatican sources calling Pope Leo XIV the "most un-American" American.