Trump and Pope Leo are now the most powerful Americans on Earth. They have leadership roles in different areas.

One new American leader's motto is "Fight!" The other, the new pope, first spoke the word "Peace" to the world.

President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV, who was born in Chicago, are very different people. They have different political views, personal styles, and ways of seeing the world. They also have different jobs and areas where they have influence.

But Leo's election last week as the first U.S.-born pope means the two most powerful people in the world are Americans. This makes people think about how much power America has, especially now that Trump's trade disagreements and threats have changed how the world works and made America's friends less trusting.

Many people believed the Catholic Church didn't choose an American as pope for almost 250 years. They thought this was because they worried about the United States having too much power in the world. But last week, Cardinal Robert F. Prevost from Chicago was chosen to become Pope Leo XIV.

David Gibson, who is in charge of a center at Fordham University, said it's interesting that many people in other countries will think Leo's election is a sign of hope, because they believe he will speak for them and not act against them.

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

People were surprised and happy when the lesser-known cardinal was chosen, but soon they started discussing how two Americans could be in charge at the highest level in the world.

People know that Trump doesn't like sharing attention or being the most important, as his "America first" foreign policy shows. American Catholics chose Trump instead of the Democrat, Kamala Harris.

During the time of sadness after Pope Francis died on April 21, it seemed Trump tried to connect with some people by sharing a picture created by AI technology. The picture showed him dressed like a pope. Some Catholics and Italians were not happy about this. Trump said he didn't share the picture himself and that people who were upset were too sensitive. He also said that "the Catholics liked it very much."

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

Meanwhile, Pope Leo is also a type of politician; people said he has a calm way of acting and speaks to other cardinals in small groups before the meeting to choose the new Pope. Although he was born in Chicago, Leo (whose name was Prevost back then) worked as a missionary in Peru for twenty years. Then, in 2023, Pope Francis chose him to be in charge of the Vatican’s important office that checks people who want to become bishops everywhere.

He is not the first pope to get involved in international politics. For example, Pope John Paul II is known for helping end communism. But Leo becomes pope after criticizing Vice President JD Vance, the most famous Catholic politician in America, on social media. Leo disagrees with the government on issues like immigration, which is important to Trump, and the environment.

Similar to Trump, Leo has started focusing on the media.

Trump and Pope Leo have very different styles of leadership.

In early February, Leo, whose name was Prevost at the time, shared an article from a Catholic magazine with the title, "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to love some people more than others."

This happened a few days after Vance, who is Catholic, talked about immigration on Fox News. He mentioned a Christian idea: 'First you love your family, then your neighbors, then your community, then your fellow citizens. After that, you can think about the rest of the world.'

Speaking in Italian to many people in St. Peter’s Square, Leo talked about a new idea for the Church and how people should be with each other: “We should be a church that works together to connect people and welcome everyone, 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 church using the political ideas of today's America. He also said it's better if we let the church focus on helping people find salvation.

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 meets culture." He also said that religion and politics don't go well together because they "want different things."

Millies said in an email: “Francis and Cardinal Prevost were doing their job as bishops – teaching the Christian message and reminding us it always supports poor, suffering, and troubled people. That is not what Trump does as president, a TV star, or a businessman.”

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

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

Apart from clear personality differences with Trump, it is thought that Leo will use power in a different way, helping the poorest people first. Trump, on the other hand, stopped giving aid to other countries. In his first speech, Leo did not talk about his American background or speak English. Some people who watch the Vatican thought this showed his focus on global matters.

Although it is true that Leo was the first pope born in the U.S., it is better to see him as the second pope from the Americas.

He said, "This shows a pope who leads the world by talking to people, not by being alone. He believes power means helping others, not controlling them. This is very different from 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 really help him become pope. But Trump was a factor in the process.

Six American cardinals who were at the conclave spoke at a press conference with loud music playing. They all said Leo was not very American. One person repeated a saying: that Leo is “the least American of the American” cardinals. Some said they thought Leo would help build a good relationship with the government, like a "bridge-builder."

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

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, said, "I don't think the other cardinals thought he was a balance to anyone."

Of course, the cardinals knew a lot about what had happened and what people had said and done in the United States," said Wilton Gregory. He was once the archbishop in Washington. But he said that the meeting was about deciding "who among us" could make the faith stronger.

Millies said: "The world should not be afraid of an American pope. In fact, the opposite is true. He is different from most Americans, so he hasn't been influenced by our recent politics. He may seem safer because he is still an American who knows the good side of this country well.

Darlene Superville, a writer for Associated Press in Washington, also worked on this report.