American Catholics have grown increasingly skeptical of President Donald Trump after they were a key factor in his reelection, according to the latest polling of religious Republicans.
A survey by the Democracy Institute found that 57% of Catholics believed Trump’s now-deleted social media post that depicted him as Jesus was “wrong,” while 36% said he was right to criticize Pope Leo XIV. A majority of Catholics, 70%, also did not believe Trump’s claim that he thought the now-deleted image was representing him as a Red Cross doctor.
Trump posted an AI-generated image on social media that appeared to portray him as Jesus Christ healing the sick. He deleted the post after receiving widespread criticism from Christians, and later claimed he thought he was being depicted as a Red Cross doctor.
(The Democracy Institute/Daily Caller News Foundation)The numbers mark a major shift from 2024 election polling, when 22% of those who voted for Trump were Catholic, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Trump also held an 18-point lead among Catholics in early exit polls conducted by The Washington Post in November 2024.
In his battle with Pope Leo, Trump accused the pontiff of being “weak” on foreign policy and crime in a Truth Social post from April 12. The pope condemned the Iran war, calling it an “unacceptable” conflict fueled by a “delusion of omnipotence.” He also denounced Trump’s warning on April 7 that a “whole civilization” in Iran will be destroyed if the Iranian regime failed to reach an agreement to end the conflict.
“Today, as we all know, there was this threat against all the people of Iran. This is truly unacceptable,” Leo told reporters in Italian.
Patrick Basham, founding Director of the Democracy Institute, told The Mirror that most Christians found Trump’s depiction of Jesus to be “blasphemous” and sinful, making it difficult to forgive.
“A cynic might conclude that over recent months Trump’s been on a mission to upset as many groups as possible within his national coalition,” Basham said. “His Jesus post managed to offend both a clear majority of Evangelical Republicans – Trump’s most loyal religious voters – and a clear majority of Catholic Republicans – the swing voters who helped put him over the top in the last election.”
“Many Evangelicals and Catholics didn’t simply find Trump’s post offensive; they actually found it blasphemous. A good number may find it hard to forgive Trump’s social media sin,” Basham continued.
A minority of Catholics, 45%, expressed hope that the Iran war will end in the next 14 days, according to the Democracy Institute survey. Trump had repeatedly claimed that the war would only last two to three weeks, though his administration has been unsuccessful in reaching a deal with Iran.
Pope Leo told reporters on April 18 that he had no interest in arguing with Trump and would continue calling for peace. Vice President J.D. Vance, a Catholic, thanked the pope for his words and acknowledged the differences in opinion between the Vatican and the administration.
“I am grateful to Pope Leo for saying this. While the media narrative constantly gins up conflict–and yes, real disagreements have happened and will happen–the reality is often much more complicated,” Vance said. “Pope Leo preaches the gospel, as he should, and that will inevitably mean he offers his opinions on the moral issues of the day. The President–and the entire administration–work to apply those moral principles in a messy world. He will be in our prayers, and I hope that we’ll be in his.”
Vance likely helped Trump win over Catholics since he was the only Catholic on the presidential ticket.
The pope has also criticized the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts, calling the efforts “extremely disrespectful” and advocating for a humane treatment of illegal aliens. Border czar Tom Homan invited the pope to join an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ride along in response to his criticisms of the administration’s deportation policies.
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