Politics
NEW: Poll Shows Catholics Firmly Behind Trump Despite Media’s ‘Schism’ Narrative
A new poll is cutting against the media’s favorite storyline that President Trump has lost Catholic America after his dust-up with Pope Leo XIV, showing a bloc that looks less like a “schism” and more like a near-even split.
The survey, conducted late last month, puts Trump’s approval among Catholic voters at 48%, with 52% disapproving. That is not a collapse. It is a tight, polarized picture in line with a country that’s been running 50-50 for years, even when the commentariat insists one headline moment will change everything overnight.
The friction with the Vatican has been loud. Trump’s criticism of Leo intensified after the pope amplified warnings about war and argued that God does not bless those who drop bombs. Leo also criticized Trump’s rhetoric toward Iran, calling the president’s threat to annihilate Iranian civilization “truly unacceptable.”
A new CBS poll found that 58% of weekly Mass-attending Catholics approve of President Trump’s job performance overall.
Not surprising, as these are the Catholics taking the faith seriously rather than just bearing the title.
Catholics understand that President Trump is by and… pic.twitter.com/vO1EemGyh5
— Kevin Roberts (@KevinRobertsTX) April 16, 2026
Trump responded by accusing the Chicago-born pontiff of being weak on crime and too cozy with the left, turning what might have been a brief disagreement into a full-blown political and cultural food fight.
The same poll suggests the Iran conflict is a major drag with Catholic voters. Just 40% said they approve of Trump’s handling of the war, while 60% said they disapprove, according to the data referenced in the report.
Trump has also stirred controversy on the home front with some supporters after he posted, then deleted, an artificial intelligence-generated image portraying himself in a Christ-like manner.
Analysts tied to Catholic media argued the clash is forcing some voters to think beyond party labels.
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“What emerges from this convergence of data and events is not simply a decline in approval ratings, but a more profound recalibration,” said Zenit.org’s Jorge Enrique Mujica.
“For many Catholic voters, the question is no longer confined to partisan preference. It touches on the coherence between faith and political judgment, particularly in matters of war, peace, and the moral limits of power.”
Still, the topline numbers do not show Catholics “abandoning” Trump so much as reflecting the same national divide playing out in every major demographic. In a hyper-polarized era, 48-52 is less a rupture than a reminder: the media can push a narrative, but voters are still sorting it out on their own.
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