Trump's Catholic Support Plummets Amid Pope Leo Feud Ahead of Midterm Elections

A new poll has found that 53 percent of Republican Catholic voters would support Democratic congressional candidates in the midterm elections, as President Donald Trump's public feud with Pope Leo XIV appears to have damaged his standing among Catholic conservatives.

Over the past few weeks, Trump's war of words with the Pope has drawn considerable attention. Disagreements between the two began when Leo XIV expressed his displeasure over Trump's way of handline the Iran war.

Things escalated further when the president shared a controversial AI image of himself being portrayed as Jesus Christ-like figure, in a post on his Truth Social account.

Another poll conducted recently showed that Trump's approval rating has taken a hit, especially when it comes to young and Gen Z voters. Is there a similar trend among Catholic Republicans? Let's find out.

A nationwide poll conducted by the Democracy Institute surveyed 1,350 Christians registered as conservative voters, according to a report by The Mirror US.

They were asked a number of questions for the survey, including who they thought would win the midterm elections between the Democrats and Republicans.

Among Republican Catholics, 53 percent said they would vote for the Democratic Party, while 43 percent backed the Republican Party. Among Protestant Republican voters, 55 percent backed the Republican Party and 42 percent supported Democrats.

Across all Christian groups surveyed, 48 percent supported Republicans while 47 percent supported Democrats.

The poll was conducted amid a series of controversies during Easter week. Trump's religious adviser, Paula White-Cain, drew criticism for comparing Trump's life to that of Jesus Christ, according to posts on X.

Trump then shared an AI-generated image, since deleted, appearing to depict him healing a man with light emanating from his hands.

Addressing the severe backlash that followed, Trump said of the image, "I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor," and not a depiction of Jesus Christ.

He said he was depicted as a Red Cross worker and described coverage suggesting otherwise as inaccurate.

On April 13, Trump wrote on Truth Social calling Pope Leo "WEAK" and criticizing him for what the former described as accepting Iran having a nuclear weapon.

Trump also wrote that if he were not president, Pope Leo would not be in the Vatican.

According to The Guardian, Pope Leo said he does not fear the Trump administration and would continue "speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel."

Trump subsequently posted a second AI-generated image on Truth Social, this time showing himself being embraced by Jesus Christ.

Social media users questioned Trump's explanation that the first image [which has now been deleted] depicted him as a doctor.

Shortly after his comment, the social media users grilled him. A user wrote, “How disingenuous,” sharing the AI-generated image of Trump and Christ side by side.

One user wrote, "How disingenuous," sharing the AI-generated images side by side.

Another commented, "The Red Cross... is famously known for its robes and magic."

A third stated, "He thought it was Red Cross… because nothing says humanitarian aid like glowing hands and disciples watching you resurrect people."

One user noted, "Wow, I didn't see that one coming."

Patrick Basham, founding director of the Democracy Institute, reportedly said that Christian Republicans are realistic about the party's midterm prospects.

"They're also relatively unenthusiastic about the congressional Republican party," he said, adding that a number of Catholic voters are likely to support Democratic candidates.

The Democratic Party, however, still has work to consolidate that support.