Saturday, April 26, Donald Trump attended the funeral mass of Pope Francis in the Vatican, surrounded by leaders from more than 150 countries. Before the ceremony, he met Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the first time since their exchange tense at the White House in February.
The two men briefly maintained themselves alongside Emmanuel Macron before continuing their dialogue in private in the Saint-Pierre basilica. Shortly after, Trump published on his Truth Social network: “Maybe Putin does not want to stop war”, reacting to the recent Russian strikes against Ukrainian civilians.
During the funeral, Zelenskyy was warmly acclaimed, contrasting with the more warm welcome reserved for Trump. The ceremony also highlighted the past tensions between the American president and the Pope, notably on migratory policies, illustrated by the homily of Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re: “Build bridges, not walls”.
Back in the United States, Trump was faced with alarming surveys. Less than 100 days of his mandate, he displays historic unpopularity, including among the Republicans. A majority of Americans describes his return to the White House as “scary”.
In addition, his administration faces internal controversies: in the Pentagon, an investigation into leaks conducted in the dismissal of three senior officials close to the defense secretary Pete Hegseth.
On the migration level, the situation deteriorates. Recent affairs reveal that the Trump administration expelled a two -year -old child, American citizen, without the slightest regular process. A federal judge described this expulsion as “without significant procedure”, highlighting the brutality of the decisions made against citizens and their families, without having a real chance of defending their rights.
In another incident, legal decisions also denounce the expeditious expulsions made against American citizens or their relatives, accentuating criticism against the White House.
In parallel, the arrest of a Wisconsin judge for helping an immigrant raises lively political controversy, exacerbating tensions between the executive and justice.
Finally, even his traditional supporters vacillate: the Las Vegas Review-Journal, owned by billionaire Miriam Adelson, violently criticized Trump for having pardoned a local elected official sentenced for embezzlement.
This Saturday at the Vatican, between bitter political revelations and realities, Donald Trump experienced all the ambiguity of his declining power.
