David Axelrod trying to tamp down speculation after meeting the pope
David Axelrod, a senior advisor to former president Barack Obama, put out a statement on X quelling rumors that a Thursday meeting between himself and Pope Leo XIV was a...
By Fox News · Fox News
David Axelrod, a senior advisor to former president Barack Obama , put out a statement on X quelling rumors that a Thursday meeting between himself and Pope Leo XIV was a precursor to a potential Leo-Obama summit. "To be clear, I was gratified and honored that Pope Leo XIV granted my request for an audience and thrilled to spend a some time with him last week," Axelrod wrote. "It was scheduled months ago and unrelated to any prospective meeting with President Obama ," his Tuesday post concluded. Despite the statement, Obama has been open about his desire to meet with Pope Leo. Obama-Biden White House alum Christopher Hale posted on X that there are "early talks" about a potential one-on-one. POPE WARNS ESCALATING IRAN CONFLICT COULD TIP MIDDLE EAST INTO ‘IRREPARABLE ABYSS’ Axelrod, now a CNN analyst, was responding to a video from his own network in which conservative commentator Hal Lambert accused Pope Leo's recent criticisms of President Donald Trump and the war in Iran of being politically motivated. "David Axelrod goes and visits Pope Leo last week. They're talking about Obama going to visit. Pope Leo is from Chicago. All of a sudden, now Pope Leo is out attacking Trump and the policies of the United States and Israel," Lambert said during a CNN panel show. "Axelrod is the chief strategist for Obama. The pope was saying he's not political. Why is he meeting with the chief strategist for both Obama's campaign and in the White House?" Lambert asked. POPE LEO PICKS NEW VATICAN AMBASSADOR TO US AS TRUMP TENSIONS MOUNT OVER POLICIES In addition to being a senior advisor to Obama in the White House, Axelrod was also the chief strategist for both Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaigns and was widely seen as the brains behind his successful runs. The veteran politico met with Pope Leo on April 9. The pope's criticism's of Trump's military actions predate the meeting. He's been critical of both military actions in Venezuela and in Iran, telling a Palm Sunday Mass in March tha…