Many were surprised that Cardinal Robert Prevost became the first American pope on Thursday, but Steve Bannon apparently saw it coming.
The MAGA firebrand told Piers Morgan at the end of April that the Chicago-born Prevost was one of the underdogs in the running for the papacy.
“I do think one of the dark horses, and I think, unfortunately, he’s one of the most progressive, is Cardinal Prevost. I don’t think he’s getting enough play,” Bannon said. “Prevost is one of the ones closest to Francis ideologically. He’s also had tremendous experience in Latin America, and so he’s one of the ones on the shortlist.”
Days later, that proved to be true. After just two days in the conclave, the College of Cardinals shocked the world by electing the first American pope in history, who chose the name Leo XIV.
Though Prevost occupied a high-profile perch in the Vatican as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, which put him in charge of managing new bishops, he was not commonly identified as a frontrunner because an American had never been named pope before.
Bannon had his own theories for why that’s the case.
“I think it’s pretty shocking given the contempt they hold [for] the American church,” he said. “The American church gives so much money, they’re afraid it has too much power. So they’ve never really wanted to have an American pope.”
Bannon said his pick for pope was Robert Sarah, a conservative African cardinal, who he argued “would be a perfect selection right now for this moment in the church.”
THIS IS THE NEW POPE!His name is Robert Prevost. He’s the first American Pope.He is anti-Trump, anti-MAGA, pro-open Borders, and a total Marxist like Pope Francis.Catholics don’t have anything good to look forward to. Just another Marxist puppet in the Vatican. https://t.co/S45vZ8IaKM
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) May 8, 2025
MAGAworld has so far had an icy reception to Pope Leo XIV, with Laura Loomer accusing him of being an “anti-Trump, anti-MAGA, pro-open Borders, and a total Marxist like Pope Francis.”
The new pope’s X account showed that he reposted articles critical of the Trump administration’s deportation agenda and Vice President JD Vance.
“JD Vance is wrong,” one post read. “Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
The post Steve Bannon’s Long-Shot Pope Prediction Came True appeared first on The Daily Beast.
