Blakeman, invoking Jewish faith, sidesteps questions on Trump's controversial criticism of Pope Leo XIV

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, explaining he’s a “nice Jewish boy,” declined Monday to say whether he agrees with President Donald Trump that Pope Leo XIV is “weak” and “terrible.”

The abstention by Blakeman, whose campaign for governor Trump has endorsed, came the morning after Trump took to his Truth Social media platform to say that Leo isn’t “doing a very good job,” that “he’s a very liberal person,” and that he should “stop catering to the Radical Left.” Leo has criticized the U.S.-Israel war in Iran, but has not mentioned Trump by name in his criticism.

Blakeman, a county executive on an Island with 1.2 million baptized Catholics, was asked about Trump’s comments Monday at an unrelated event and said it’s not his place to comment.

“As being a member of the Jewish faith, there’s no way I’m gonna get in the middle of that,” said Blakeman, who followed up by saying that he thinks that, having met Pope John Paul II, he “was an angel on earth and a saint.”

“He was a great pope. Basically, I think that he’s somebody that loved New York,” Blakeman said. 

He declined to comment on Leo.

“As a nice Jewish boy,” Blakeman said, he doesn’t think “it’s my province to get in the middle of an argument with regard to religion.”

Blakeman is running for governor, challenging the incumbent, Kathy Hochul.

Her campaign spokesman, Ryan Radulovacki, said in a text message: “When Donald Trump attacks and disrespects faith leaders, Bruce Blakeman won’t stand up for them — he’s showing New Yorkers exactly who he is and what he stands for. Blakeman has said he ‘would never be disloyal’ to Donald Trump, and sadly New Yorkers are going to hear a whole lot more of this nonsense along with a whole lot of crickets from ‘100% MAGA’ Bruce.”

Blakeman previously said that he won't disagree with Trump publicly, just as he wouldn't argue with his wife in public.

Over the weekend, Trump said, "I'm not a fan of Pope Leo," and later posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Christ-like figure seeming to "cure" someone. Trump deleted the image following backlash from his religious backers.

"Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy," Trump had posted. "Unfortunately, Leo’s Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons, does not sit well with me."

Meanwhile, aboard the papal plane, Leo countered Trump’s broadside, saying that he doesn’t fear the Trump administration and that the appeals for reconciliation and peace are grounded in the Gospel.

“To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here, I think is not understanding what the message of the Gospel is,” Leo told The Associated Press, en route to Algeria. “And I’m sorry to hear that but I will continue on what I believe is the mission of the church in the world today.”

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.