During a lively segment on CNN, a financier startled the panel with a sensational claim involving Pope Leo XIV and former President Barack Obama in a supposed scheme against President Donald Trump.

Hal Lambert, the head of Point Bridge Capital, shared this theory on the NewsNight with Abby Phillip show, suggesting a Chicago-rooted plot. He alleged that these high-profile figures, along with CNN’s chief political analyst David Axelrod, a former advisor to Obama, are conspiring to undermine the Republican Party before the upcoming election.

“This is entirely political,” Lambert asserted. “The aim is to weaken President Trump’s Catholic support during the midterms and likewise affect Republicans.”

He elaborated, “If you connect the dots… David Axelrod recently met with Pope Leo. Discussions are underway about Obama meeting the Pope.”

Lambert continued his commentary by pointing out the Pope’s Chicago connections, claiming, “Suddenly, Pope Leo is criticizing Trump and his policies towards the United States and Israel…”

Lambert, citing how the leader of the Catholic Church is also a Chicago-native, continued: ‘All of a sudden, now, Pope Leo is out attacking Trump and the policies of the United States and Israel… 

‘You have three cardinals come out today, attacking the immigration policy. This is all about trying to get the Catholic vote against Trump.’

Phillip interrupted Lambert to criticize his argument, pointing out that it had a ‘lot of flaws’.

Point Bridge Capital chief executive Hal Lambert peddled a conspiracy on CNN’s NewsNight with Abby Phillip, alleging that Pope Leo and Barack Obama were working together to take down the Republican Party ahead of the midterm election

Pope Leo XIV holds a holy Mass at the Basilica of Saint Augustine in Algeria on Tuesday

But the financier was relentless, telling her: ‘There’s no flaws. Axelrod is the chief strategist for Obama. The pope is saying he’s not political. Why is he meeting with the chief strategist for both Obama’s campaigns and in the White House?’

CNN commentator Bakari Sellers chimed in, suggesting that the pontiff was meeting with them because ‘he’s from Chicago.’

Phillip also pointed out how one of the late Pope Francis’s final meetings before his death was with Vice President JD Vance.

‘Pope Francis met with,’ she said. ‘Pope Francis was extremely critical of-‘

Lambert interrupted her again: ‘JD Vance is the Vice President of the United States.’

Trump on Sunday launched a scathing attack against the Pope, calling him ‘weak’ and captive to the ‘Radical Left,’ even suggesting he owed his position to the president.

‘Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise,’ Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

‘He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J Trump.’

‘If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,’ he added.

President Trump has been in a public feud with Pope Leo after he called him ‘weak’ and captive to the ‘Radical Left,’ even suggesting he owed his position to the President

The President went on to say that he prefers the Pope’s brother Louis because he is ‘all MAGA.’ Trump added: ‘He gets it, and Leo doesn’t!’

The feud began after the pontiff criticized the US offensive against Iran, without naming Trump or Washington directly.

Trump responded with his volley of broadsides against the head of the Catholic Church. 

The Pope responded that he had ‘no fear’ of the Trump administration and will continue to speak out against the war with Iran.

‘I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do,’ he told reporters during a flight to Algeria. 

‘I don’t want to get into a debate with [Trump],’ he added.

‘Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say: there’s a better way to do this,’ the pontiff said. 

Popes have disagreed with the US before, with John Paul II notably having been strongly opposed to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The late Pope Francis meets with Vice President JD Vance at the Vatican on April 20 last year

Just weeks before he died in April 2025, Pope Francis described Trump’s migrant deportations as a ‘major crisis’, drawing a rebuke from the president’s border czar Tom Homan, who said that he should ‘stick to the Catholic Church’.

Many of Francis’s critics dismissed him as anti-American – something that cannot be said for Pope Leo.

Trump’s criticism is seemingly unprecedented, as most US presidents have been wary of alienating Catholic voters by speaking out too much against a pontiff.