Donald Trump’s approval rating with Christians shifts: ‘There has never been a greater president for Christian Americans,’ White House says

President Donald Trump’s support among Christian voters is showing a clear divide, with his approval climbing among born-again Protestants while falling sharply among Catholics in 2026. The contrasting trends have emerged against the backdrop of Trump’s repeated public disagreements with Pope Leo XIV over immigration and the Iran war, even as the president continues to command strong support from religious conservatives. The White House has rejected any suggestion that Trump is losing ground with Christian Americans, declaring that “there has never been a greater president for Christian Americans than President Trump.”

Support for Donald Trump divided among Christian Americans

Across five Marquette national surveys conducted between January and July, Trump’s approval among born-again Protestants rose from 56% to 61%, while approval among Catholics fell from 54% to 45%. That left him with a net approval of +22 among born-again Protestants in July, compared with -10 among Catholics, resulting in a 32-point difference. 

However, it is worth noting that the change was not consistent across all Protestant groups. Trump’s approval among mainline Protestants stood at 47% in both January and July, despite fluctuations in the intervening surveys. Nationally, Trump’s approval declined from 42% in January to 38% in May and June before reaching 40% in July.

Approval among Catholics slips

Trump’s Catholic approval slipped only slightly from January to April, falling from 54% to 53%, before dropping to 45% in May and 43% in June. It recovered to 45% in July. Notably, the change came as Trump clashed publicly with Pope Leo XIV over immigration and the Iran war. While the pope repeatedly called for peace and urged greater compassion toward migrants, Trump defended his aggressive policies and criticized the pope. A May PRRI survey found 56% of Americans viewed Pope Leo favorably, compared with 34% who viewed Trump favorably. Marquette’s May poll likewise found the pope was viewed favorably by 66% of Catholics.

Divergence in support politically significant ahead of midterms

While the polls do not establish that Trump’s disputes with Pope Leo caused the decline among Catholics, the political implications are significant. Catholics represented about 20% of voters and 22% of Trump’s coalition in the 2024 presidential race, according to Pew Research Center. Trump won Catholics 55% to 43% over Joe Biden in 2024, after the group divided almost evenly in 2020.

Meanwhile, Trump’s standing remains particularly strong among white evangelical Protestants. Pew found that he won 81% of their vote in 2024, while his support among Catholics varied considerably by race. The divergence could matter in the November midterms, when Republicans will rely heavily on religious conservatives while Democrats seek to make gains among voters dissatisfied with Trump’s performance on the economy, immigration and foreign policy.

‘There has never been a greater president for Christian Americans than President Trump’

White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers rejected the suggestion that Trump’s relationship with Christian voters is weakening. “There has never been a greater president for Christian Americans than President Trump, and his strong record proves it. President Trump ended the weaponization of the federal government against people of faith, proudly defended and expanded our religious rights, pardoned pro-life activists, stopped the chemical mutilation of our nation’s children and protected parents’ rights,” she claimed.

“On the other hand, Democrats shamelessly weaponized the full weight of the federal government against people of faith, trampled on Christians’ sacred First Amendment rights and pushed irreversible mutilation surgeries on innocent children,” Rogers added.