Donald Trump’s approval rating is heading in two very different directions among America’s largest Christian groups. A new polling analysis reveals how born-again Protestants and Catholics are diverging sharply on the president this year.
Donald Trump’s approval rises among born-again Protestants as Catholic support declines
Donald Trump’s approval rating among born-again Protestants rose from 56 percent in January to 61 percent in July, according to Marquette Law School polls analyzed by Newsweek. His approval among Roman Catholics fell from 54 percent to 45 percent over the same period. This created a 32-point gap in net approval between the two Christian groups by July.
The Catholic decline accelerated between April and May, dropping from 53 percent to 45 percent. Catholic approval briefly fell to 43 percent in June before recovering slightly. Meanwhile, born-again Protestant approval climbed steadily, reaching 59 percent in June and 61 percent in July.
The shift followed Trump’s public feud with Pope Leo XIV over immigration and the war with Iran. Leo called Trump’s threat against the Iranian people “truly unacceptable” and questioned whether the conflict met Catholic standards. Trump responded by calling Leo “WEAK on Crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.”
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers defended Trump’s record, stating: “There has never been a greater president for Christian Americans than President Trump, and his strong record proves it.” She added that Democrats “shamelessly weaponized the full weight of the federal government against people of faith.”
A Public Religion Research Institute survey in May found 56 percent of Americans viewed Leo favorably. Only 34 percent viewed Trump favorably in the same survey. White evangelical Protestants were among the few groups favoring Trump over the pope.
Catholics accounted for 20 percent of voters in the 2024 presidential election. Trump won them 55 percent to 43 percent against Joe Biden’s replacement, Kamala Harris. However, Latino Catholics backed Harris by roughly 6 in 10, according to AP VoteCast.
Mainline Protestants showed no significant change, holding steady at 47 percent approval in both January and July. Nationally, Trump’s overall approval slipped from 42 percent in January to 40 percent in July.
