United States in April 2026: the most important developments in society
In the United States in April 2026, the most followed social story was the public dispute between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV. The pope criticised the US-Israeli war on Iran, saying it is fuelled by a "delusion of omnipotence". On 13 April Trump called him "weak on crime" and "terrible for foreign policy", and shared, then deleted, an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus, saying he had thought it showed him as a doctor. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called Trump's words unacceptable. On 15 April Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticised the pope's message on peace, and Trump posted a second religious image. US Catholic bishops sided with the pope. On 18 and 19 April the pope said it was not in his interest to debate Trump and regretted that his remarks were read as a debate.
Other stories involved the president's family and the press. Melania Trump issued a rare statement on 9 April denying any connection to Jeffrey Epstein, calling claims about her "lies". After a shooting at the White House correspondents' dinner, Trump called for a redo of the event. On 27 April Trump and Melania Trump called on ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel over a joke about her, and on 28 April the FCC ordered an early review of ABC's broadcast licences. Earlier, Trump threatened to jail journalists who reported on the rescue of a downed airman in Iran.
Immigration and health were also in the news. The Democratic Republic of the Congo agreed to accept deportees from the US, and 15 people arrived in Kinshasa. Deaths of migrants in ICE custody reached a record, and naturalizations fell by half. The administration moved cannabis for medical use into a less restricted class, ordered faster review of psychedelic drugs and named a public health veteran to lead the CDC.
Wildfires in Georgia and Florida destroyed more than 50 homes during a record spring drought, and tornadoes struck Oklahoma and Texas. Britain barred Kanye West from entering, and the Wireless Festival he was to headline was cancelled.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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