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May 8, 2025 39 mins

Amid the election of the first ever American Pope, Robert Prevost, who will be known as Pope Leo XIV, Roland Oliphant looks at the rise of a new force in American politics: MAGA Catholics.


Vice President JD Vance, First Lady Melania Trump, and of course Steve Bannon - Trump’s first term chief of staff - are among the best known names in Washington. Tim Stanley, The Telegraph’s “weapons-grade Catholic” sketch-writer, joins from Rome to discuss what unites Catholics and the MAGA movement, how much influence they wield in Washington, and whether they can influence the choice of the next Pope.


Plus, as Donald Trump prepares to go to the Middle East for the first official foreign trip of his second term, program director at the Institute for Global Affairs at Eurasia Group Jonathan Guyer explains what is on the agenda and what may actually be achieved. 


Rob Crilly's interview with Marjorie Taylor Greene: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2025/05/08/marjorie-taylor-greene-trump-needs-to-focus-on-america/


Contact us with feedback or ideas:

battlelines@telegraph.co.uk 

@venetiarainey

@RolandOliphant


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