In Charlotte, Kamala Harris calls out Trump’s ‘obviously wrong’ Pope Leo post
Former Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris slammed President Donald Trump’s recent targeting of Pope Leo XIV as “obviously wrong” in her return to Charlotte on Tuesday.
Harris returned to North Carolina to promote her campaign memoir, “107 Days,” in front of a near-capacity crowd at Ovens Auditorium for a book tour stop moderated by actress and model Brooklyn Decker. She was originally supposed to stop in Charlotte in February, but the date was postponed by winter weather. She previously held tour stops in Durham and Greensboro.
The California Democrat was a frequent presence in battleground North Carolina during her presidential campaign in 2024, ultimately losing the state by about 3 percentage points.
Harris renewed speculation she’ll mount another presidential campaign in 2028 late last week during an appearance at the National Action Network convention in New York City, telling the crowd she was “thinking about it.”
The former vice president didn’t directly address her political future Tuesday, but she offered a harsh assessment of Trump’s second term in office, including his recent controversial social media posts about religion and his immigration crackdown.
“I cannot guarantee that what is coming out of D.C. won’t get worse before it gets better,” she said.
Harris also weighed in on North Carolina’s consequential 2026 U.S. Senate race.
Harris: Trump’s pope post ‘blatantly offensive on every level’
Tuesday’s event kicked off with a question about Trump’s recent social media rant against the leader of the Catholic church.
Trump took to his Truth Social platform late Sunday to call the first American-born pope, who’d previously criticized the administration’s war in Iran, “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.” Trump drew more condemnation over a separate, since-deleted post that included an AI-generated image of him as a Jesus-like figure.
Harris called Trump’s actions “blatantly offensive on every level.” She said the posts were “very telling” about the administration’s character.
“They’re suggesting that as president and vice president of the United States, they don’t have a responsibility in terms of moral leadership,” Harris said.
Harris said the Trump administration’s foreign policy is jeopardizing the country’s position on the world stage and the integrity of post-World War II alliances.
“Our allies are scratching their heads, at the very least,” she said.
Harris criticizes ICE ‘murder’ of Minneapolis residents
Harris also criticized the Trump administration’s increased deployments of Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to U.S. cities. Those efforts included a November operation in Charlotte that led to hundreds of arrests, temporary business closures and a surge in school absences.
The Democrat didn’t directly address what happened locally, but she called the fatal shootings of Minneapolis residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti during confrontations with immigration officials “murder.”
She applauded people protested and organized against ICE and Border Patrol amid the violence.
“It was an extraordinary example of courage,” she said.
Harris backs Cooper, talks Tillis shift
Harris’ book includes details about her campaign stops in North Carolina and her relationship with former Gov. Roy Cooper, who was considered a potential running mate for Harris.
Republicans targeted Harris’ ties to Cooper, now a U.S. Senate candidate facing former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, in statements ahead of her return to North Carolina.
“Kamala Harris’ book revealed that her friend, Roy Cooper, was one of the first calls she made after learning Joe Biden dropped out thanks to his loyalty to their radical liberal agenda, and North Carolina voters will reject Cooper in November just like they did Harris,” National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Nick Puglia said.
At Tuesday’s event, Harris, herself a former senator, said Cooper would be “extraordinary” in the position.
“I thank everyone here in advance for doing what you will do to make sure that he is elected,” she told the crowd.
Harris also gave credit to North Carolina’s outgoing Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis for at times rebuking the Trump administration during his final term in Congress.
“We need more people who understand that there are going to be divisions between the parties — that’s what gives us a robust debate and makes us a democracy — but there are some issues that should be beyond partisan affiliation,” she said.
This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
