Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) said President Donald Trump “knows nothing about religion,” adding his attacks on Pope Leo were “gross.”

Christie said, “This vice president, who is, you know, now a Catholic convert, early on in your Catholicism, taking on the pope probably isn’t the greatest thing in the world. But, you know, JD Vance is following, as he always does the lead of Donald Trump. He cannot get out from Donald Trump’s back. He cannot ever do anything that isn’t completely 110 percent supportive of what Trump says. But here’s the problem, he’s leading himself to a real, real political problem for himself. Donald Trump knows about as much about the Catholic Church as my phone does.”

He continued, “This is a guy who knows nothing about religion, has no religious basis at all. Ramesh and I were speaking in the green room about the time when they asked him about which one he preferred, the New Testament or the Old Testament. He goes, well, I like them both. I like them both. You know, this is a guy who’s a fake. He’s a phony. And JD I have a little advice for you this morning, don’t be following a phony on issues of religion and taking on Pope Leo. The other complication here, Jon, is, this is the first American pope. So, American Catholics not only follow him as Catholics, but they have a great pride of ownership in this pope. And so it’s personal on top of being theological.”

He added, “And so, I think this is a real problem politically for them. Catholics are not going to forget that this president, and my party’s leadership, has taken on Pope Leo in a really, really gross way.”

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