‘One holocaust is enough,’ Graham invokes Nazi comparison in ‘Hannity’ clash with Pope Leo
WASHINGTON, DC: Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) took to the airwaves of Hannity on Monday, April 13, to deliver a stunning and "sensational" rebuke to Pope Leo XIV, warning the head of the Catholic Church that he has "got this all wrong" regarding the US-Israeli war against Iran.
In a performance that has sent shockwaves through the Vatican and Washington, Graham compared the Iranian regime to Nazi Germany, telling the first-ever American Pope that his calls for negotiation are dangerously naive.
The Pope is a good man, but his criticism of President Trump’s leadership in confronting the Iranian regime misses the mark.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) April 14, 2026
President Trump is doing the right thing by standing up to the ayatollah and standing for the people of Iran. pic.twitter.com/zJP8iatEW7
The Senator’s verbal assault follows a week of escalating tensions between President Donald J. Trump and the Pontiff.
While Graham acknowledged Leo as a "good, holy man," he argued that the Pope fundamentally fails to "understand the evil of Iran."
Invoking the darkest chapter of the 20th century, Graham asserted that the Catholic Church "didn’t really get Hitler" and is now repeating history by failing to recognize the "religious Nazi regime" led by the Ayatollah.
Ayatollah branded ‘religious Nazi’ by Graham
Graham’s rhetoric left no room for the "negotiating table" Leo has spent weeks advocating for.
The Senator told the Pope that the Ayatollah will never be "talked out" of his nuclear ambitions. "You’re going to have to make him give up his nukes," Graham declared, directly supporting President Trump's "Locked and Loaded" military doctrine.
🚨 BREAKING: Lindsey Graham bashes the Pope
— The Daily Britain (@dailybritainonx) April 14, 2026
"In the 30s, you didn't really get Hitler… You really don't get this religious Nazi regime."
"They are evil! They will kill all the Jews if we let them! And the Jewish people—one Holocaust is enough!"
"So Pres. Trump, you saved the… pic.twitter.com/KiY91sehS4
He punctuated his warning with a harrowing defense of the current military campaign, stating flatly: "One Holocaust is enough."
The South Carolina Republican credited Trump with "saving the world" from a regime that would have used "eight to 10 nuclear weapons" if left unchecked.
Graham’s "Nuts" description of the Iranian leadership served as a sharp contrast to Pope Leo’s recent comments, where the Pontiff labeled Trump’s threat that Iran’s "whole civilization will die" as "truly unacceptable."
Trump refuses apology to ‘weak’ Pontiff
The civil war between the White House and the Holy See deepened on Monday as President Trump stood by his "Weak on crime" assessment of the Pope.
Addressing reporters, the President insisted he owes the Pontiff no apology for his social media attacks.
NEW: Pope Leo XIV responds to President Trump's comments on social media.
— CatholicVote (@CatholicVote) April 13, 2026
"I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel. That's what I believe I am called to do, what the Church is called to do. We are not politicians." pic.twitter.com/JrOYFvBqa4
"Pope Leo said things that are wrong," Trump stated, arguing that the Pope "would not be happy with the end result" of a nuclear-armed Iran.
In a shocking claim over the weekend, Trump even suggested that Leo, the historic first US citizen to lead the Church, would not even be Pope if Trump were not in the White House.
Pope Leo has remained defiant, stating he is "not afraid of the Trump administration" and will continue to speak out "loudly about the message of the Gospel."
Vance tells Vatican: Stay out of policy
Vice President JD Vance joined the fray on Monday, issuing a definitive "Stick to your lane" directive to the Vatican.
The second Catholic Vice President in US history told Fox News that the Church should focus on "matters of morality" and the internal workings of the Catholic Church, while letting the President "stick to dictating American public policy."
REAKING: Catholic convert JD Vance tells the Pope to stick to “matters of morality” as if Trump’s war, the bombing of schoolgirls, and threats to sources of power and clean water aren’t moral issues!
— Occupy Democrats (@OccupyDemocrats) April 14, 2026
In an absolutely jaw-dropping interview with Bret Baier, Vice President JD… pic.twitter.com/oMeyvFajZk
Vance also moved to extinguish a separate firestorm regarding a now-deleted Truth Social post that depicted Trump as a Christ-like figure.
While the President claimed he thought the AI-generated robes were those of a "Doctor," Vance dismissed the post as a "Joke" that was only removed because people failed to understand the President's "humor."