Right now, Donald Trump and Pope Leo are seen as very powerful Americans around the world. They are leaders in different ways and in different areas.

One new American leader's motto is "Fight!" The other leader, the pope, started his first public speech with the word "Peace."

President Donald Trump and Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV are very different in politics, personality, and how they see the world. They have different jobs and areas of influence.

However, since Leo, the first American pope, was recently chosen to lead 1.4 billion Catholics, the two most powerful people in the world are now Americans. This makes people question American influence, especially because Trump's disagreements over trade and his threats have changed the way the world works and made other countries that are friends with the US not trust it.

Many people thought the Catholic Church didn't choose an American as Pope for almost 250 years. They believed it was because they didn't want the US to be too powerful in world politics. But last week, former Cardinal Robert F. Prevost from Chicago was chosen to be Pope Leo XIV.

David Gibson, from Fordham University, said that Leo's election was surprising because many people around the world would see it as a sign of hope. They would feel that this American could represent them instead of opposing them.

Pope Leo is a different kind of American leader in the world.

The surprise and happiness about the little-known cardinal being chosen quickly turned into a strong debate about how two Americans could be at the very top of the world's ranking.

It is known that Trump likes to be the main focus, which is clear from his "America first" foreign policy. American Catholics chose Trump instead of his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris.

To try and get their support, Trump shared an AI picture of himself as a pope during the time of sadness after Pope Francis died on April 21st. Some Catholics and Italians were not happy about this. Trump said he didn't post the picture and that people who were upset "don't understand a joke." He strongly believed that "the Catholics liked it very much."

Even so, Trump wished Leo good luck and said it was a "great honor" that the new pope was American.

They said that Pope Leo is also a bit like a politician. He is calm and spoke to the other cardinals in small groups before they met to choose the new Pope. Although he was born in Chicago, Leo, whose name was Prevost then, was a missionary in Peru for 20 years. In 2023, Pope Francis chose him to be in charge of the strong Vatican office that checks bishops around the world.

He wouldn't be the first pope to get involved in world politics. For example, Pope John Paul II is seen as helping to end communism. However, Leo becomes pope after criticizing Vice President JD Vance, the most famous Catholic in American politics, on social media. Leo disagrees with the government on policies like immigration, which is very important to Trump, and the environment.

Like Trump, Leo is now focusing on the media. On Monday in Vatican City, he asked for journalists who are in prison to be set free. He also said that everyone should protect the important gift of free speech and the press. But Trump has often argued with journalists, both in the White House and in court.

Trump and Pope Leo have very different ways of leading people.

In early February, Leo, who was known as Prevost then, shared an article from a Catholic magazine with the title, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”

This happened a few days after Vance, who is Catholic, talked about immigration on Fox News. He mentioned a Christian idea that you should love your family first, then your neighbor, then your community, then your fellow citizens, and after that, think about people in other countries.

Speaking Italian to a large crowd in St. Peter’s Square, Leo shared his ideas for the Church and how people should relate to each other. He said, "We need to be a church that works together to build connections and welcome everyone, just like this square."

Vance said the Pope's position is more important than politics and social media. He explained that it's hard to understand a 2,000-year-old organization using today's American political ideas. He also said it's better for everyone if the church can focus on helping people with their spiritual lives.

Steven Millies, who is in charge of The Bernardin Center in Chicago, said that when Trump and Leo became popular at the same time, it showed how religion and popular culture came together. He also said that religion and politics do not fit well together because they have different aims.

Francis and Cardinal Prevost were acting as bishops. They taught the Gospel and said it is always for the poor, the sick, and those who are suffering.

How American are Pope Leo's ideas about the world?

Experts say that because Leo has lived in Peru for many years and is a citizen of both countries, he has a wider understanding of people, power, religion, and politics.

Apart from the clear personality differences with Trump, people expect Leo to use power differently. For example, he might help the poorest people first, while Trump stopped American aid.

Although Leo was the first pope born in the U.S., it is better to think of him as the second pope from the Americas. This goes against an 'America first' idea and sees the whole region together, like Pope Francis did, with its main focus in the southern part of the world.

He said, "This shows a pope who leads the world by talking to people, not by staying separate. He thinks real power is helping others, not controlling them. It's hard to see a bigger difference between him and the current government in the U.S."

Some American cardinals say Leo doesn't seem very American in his style or ideas, and his American background didn't seem to play a big role in him being chosen as pope. But Trump's influence was felt during the event.

Six American cardinals who were part of the meeting held a press conference with American music playing loudly. Each of them tried to make Leo's American background seem less important. One cardinal repeated a popular saying that Leo was "the least American of the American" cardinals. Several cardinals also said they thought Leo would help connect with the Trump government, explaining that the word "pontiff" means "bridge-builder" in Latin.

When asked if they chose Leo because of Trump, several cardinals said no.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who is the archbishop of New York, said, "I don't think the other cardinals would have thought of him as a way to balance out anyone else."

Wilton Gregory, the previous archbishop of Washington, said, “The cardinals certainly knew about the events, statements, and political actions in the United States.” But he said the group wanted to choose someone who could make people's faith stronger.

Millies said: "People shouldn't worry about a pope from the U.S. Actually, he is 'the least American of the Americans,' meaning he hasn't been influenced by our recent politics. He might seem safer because he is an American who knows the good things about this country very well."

Darlene Superville, a writer for Associated Press in Washington, helped with this report.