Americans are deeply uncomfortable with recent religion-related statements made by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which is a strong rebuke in a country so divided, according to a survey by The Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos. The survey reveals a positive assessment of Pope Leo XIV, who has criticized the United States’ actions on immigration and in Iran, prompting criticism from Trump, which the president repeated on Tuesday. According to the survey, 87% of Americans have a negative opinion of Trump’s social media post in which he appears to represent himself as Jesus.
69% disapprove that Hegseth prayed at the Pentagon calling for “unconscionable violence against those who do not deserve mercy.” Both expressions sparked criticism even among Republicans and Trump voters, something unusual at a time of deep political polarization. 80% of Trump’s 2024 voters reacted negatively to Trump’s Jesus post, as did 79% of Republicans. Regarding Hegseth’s prayer, more than 40% of both groups reacted negatively. “There is only one Jesus! I found the posts inappropriate and offensive. Humility is the essence of being Jesus,” said Kimberly Chopin, a 57-year-old Catholic who lives in suburban Baton Rouge and voted for Trump.
She added that Hegseth’s prayer inciting violence made her deeply uncomfortable. “That kind of language sounds like Al Qaeda.” Trump deleted the image generated by artificial intelligence in which he appeared characterized as Jesusfollowing a strong backlash, which included accusations of blasphemy from the religious right. For more than a decade, Trump has presented himself as a defender of the most religious sectors. He has enjoyed widespread support from white Christians, some of whom compare him to biblical heroes. However, the new poll shows a decline in his approval, as the Trump administration faces criticism not only from the Pope, but also from several high-ranking American Catholic clerics, as well as leaders of other conservative faiths, over aspects of its restrictive immigration policy and the war in Iran.
While 9 in 10 white evangelical Protestants — the most pro-Trump American religious bloc — have a negative opinion of Trump’s posting of the Jesus-like image, the vast majority of this group — about 7 in 10 — still approve of Trump’s overall performance as president. This represents a 10 percentage point drop from his approval rating among white evangelicals in a poll conducted in February 2025. Trump has publicly stated that he was the one who posted the image on social media and that he believed it depicted him as a doctor or a member of the Red Cross. Despite the president’s statement, Kristine Rooff, an evangelical Protestant who voted for Trump, says she does not believe he posted the image.
“He’s a strong man. He stands by his beliefs and believes in the importance of protecting America,” said Rooff, 67, a Missouri resident who retired last year from a job providing services to people with disabilities in the state. “I don’t consider him a defender of Christians, but for me he has good values.” Trump won the white Catholic vote by a margin of more than 20 points in the 2024 presidential election. However, his approval rating among this group has decreased in the new survey, standing at 49%, down from 63% in February 2025. His approval rating among all Catholics stands at 38%, a drop of 10 points since then.
Overall, Trump’s approval rating among the population has fallen from 45% in February 2025 to 37%. Americans appear to have a more favorable view of Leo XIV, the first American-born pope, who succeeded Pope Francis last year. In recent months, Leo XIV and some of his relatives in the United States They have expressed criticism and disapproval of certain US military and immigration control actions. In response, Trump has attacked the Pope. In the survey, two out of three Americans reacted positively to Leo XIV’s request that citizens contact Congress to work for peace and reject war.
Nearly six in ten reacted negatively to Trump’s false claim about the Pope, who allegedly said that “it’s okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.” Chopin stated that Trump’s criticism of Leo XIV “left a bad taste in my mouth.” “Catholics are the largest Christian denomination in the country, why wouldn’t we want to at least participate constructively?” he said. «”Here is the leader of the Catholic Church, a respected figure and the first American! I just felt there needed to be a dialogue.” Rooff, who claimed to have a very negative opinion of Leo XIV, repeated Trump’s false claim that the pontiff said Iran should have nuclear weapons. He also disapproves of what he sees as Leo
“I have no problem with their community, but if we are guided by the Bible, the religious leaders accept them as if they were going to heaven, as if everything were rosy, and it is not,” he said. Among Americans who know him, Leo XIV has a positive image: 41 percent have a favorable opinion, compared to 16 percent who have an unfavorable one. However, a considerable 43 percent of Americans still do not know the pontiff. According to the survey, Leo XIV enjoys popularity among American Catholics, including Catholic Republicans and Trump voters, and is overwhelmingly popular among Democrats and those who voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024.
Here is the leader of the Catholic Church, a respected figure and the first American! I just felt there needed to be a dialogue.
Cindy Luna, 28, a Nevada Republican who voted for Trump, said the president’s social media post and Hegseth’s prayer are typical examples of the reasons she has felt more skepticism toward politics in general, as well as the Republican Party, in recent years. “He can disagree with the Pope, no problem, but he doesn’t understand who the Pope is,” said Luna, a Hispanic Catholic who is dedicated to caring for her children. She added that, as a defender of life, she respects Leo XIV for his stance against war and his commitment to the marginalized, including migrants.
“He’s not a politician, so he’ll tell it like it is,” Luna said. “He will not agree when something goes against our teachings and he will report it.” The Jesus image, added to Trump’s other controversial posts, “has made me realize that politicians are simply human and that they are tempted by other vices as well,” Luna said. The Post-ABC-Ipsos poll also asked about a Trump post made during negotiations between his administration and Iran.
That post, which said: “An entire civilization will die tonight and never come back,” seemed to suggest the use of nuclear weapons. This sparked widespread public debate, including among moral theologians and philosophers who study ethics and war. Seventy-six percent of Americans reacted negatively to that post, including 53 who did so “vehemently.”