House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was mockingly accused by critics on social media of trying to “out-Bible the Pope” after he attempted to use scripture to defend the Trump administration’s hardline immigration agenda.
Johnson, a Southern Baptist, was asked to comment on Chicago-born Pope Leo’s citing of Matthew 25:35 as the current leader of the Roman Catholic Church urged “deep reflection” on how migrants are treated in the United States.
On Tuesday, Migrant Insider editor Pablo Manríquez asked Johnson in a clip shared by Newsmax: “Pope Leo has cited Matthew 25:35 to critique Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda. How would you respond to Pope Leo in scripture?”
“So you want me to give you a theological dissertation?” Johnson replied. “Alright. I tell you what. I’ll post it on my website later today, but let me give you a quick summary.”
Johnson argued that the Bible welcomed immigration but teaches that “assimilation is expected and anticipated and proper.”
“When someone comes into your country, comes into your nation, they do not have the right to change its laws or to change a society,” he said. “They’re expected to assimilate. We haven’t had a lot of that going on.”
Johnson claimed scripture requires civil authorities “to maintain order,” which he accused the Biden-Harris administration of not doing.
“We did not take care of our borders,” he said. “Sovereign borders are biblical and good and right and they’re just, because it’s not because we hate the people on the outside, it’s because we love the people on the inside.”
“We should love our neighbor as ourselves, as individuals, but as a civil authority and the government has to maintain the law and that is biblical and it’s right and it’s just,” he added.
Afterwards, Johnson shared his argument in a 1,300-word post on X, formerly Twitter:
In the press gaggle following today’s vote, I was asked to defend the Biblical case for border security and immigration enforcement. I did so, and then promised to post a longer explanation that I drafted during the Biden Administration. Here it is, and I hope it’s helpful:… pic.twitter.com/tHC4kf7uEC
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) February 3, 2026
The response quickly drew backlash online, with critics accusing Johnson of hypocrisy and cherry-picking scripture to justify the policy.