By A poll shows Catholics disapprove of President Donald Trump’s performance as president, overall, including on how he has handled the conflict with Iran.
President Donald Trump was elected in 2024 with support from a majority of Catholic voters, but a poll shows his support from Catholics dipping below 50% amid the U.S. war against Iran.
The poll, conducted March 20–23 jointly by Republican pollster Shaw & Co. Research and Democratic pollster Beacon Research, found that 48% of Catholic voters approve of the job Trump is doing as president and 52% disapprove.
It found that 23% of Catholics strongly approve of the job he is doing, 25% somewhat approve, 12% somewhat disapprove, and 40% strongly disapprove. The pollʼs margin of error is plus or minus 3%.
Pope Leo XIV and Catholic bishops in the United States and globally have encouraged Trump to pursue peace and diplomacy, as opposed to war, in Iran. With peace negotiations underway, the Holy Father echoed his call for more diplomacy in an April 10 post on X.
“God does not bless any conflict,” Leo said. “Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.”
God does not bless any conflict.
Pope Leo XIV
In the 2024 election, Trump won the Catholic vote by a 12-point margin, securing 55% of the voting bloc’s support, compared with former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 43%. In 2020, Trump won 49% of the Catholic vote, compared with former President Joe Biden’s 50%.
This poll comes as Trump’s support is dwindling with the broader American public as well. The poll found that only 41% of all voters approve of the president, and 59% disapprove.
Iran war disapproval
The poll found that most Catholics disapprove of Trump’s actions in Iran and the use of military force against the country but still favor some American influence in the region.
According to the poll, only 40% of Catholics approve of the way Trump has handled the conflict with Iran, and 60% disapprove. It found that 45% of Catholics support military force against Iran and 55% oppose military force. Similarly, 45% of Catholics believe military action against Iran is going well, and 55% believe it is not going well.
The poll found that 39% of Catholics believe attacks on Iran will make the country safer, 38% believe it will make the country less safe, and 23% believe it will not make much of a difference.
Alternatively, 71% of Catholics believe ending Iran’s nuclear program is important, and 29% said it is not important. It found 61% said it is important to bring about changes in Iran’s government, and 39% said it is not important.
The poll also found that 71% of Catholics believe it is important to protect the flow of oil from the region, and 29% believe it is not important. It found that 73% of Catholics believe it is important to reduce Iran’s support for terrorism, and 27% believe it is not important.
According to the poll, 74% of Catholics are concerned about Iran potentially getting a nuclear weapon, and 26% are not concerned.
2024 coalition ‘in tatters’
John White, professor emeritus of politics at The Catholic University of America, told EWTN News that he believes Trump’s 2024 coalition “is now in tatters [and] Catholics are no exception.”
“The Iran War is unpopular with the American public and Catholics reflect that,” he said. “What may carry more resonance with Catholic voters are the strong and blunt statements about the war from Pope Leo. It is not unreasonable to assume that there is a higher level of cognitive dissonance among Catholics who support Trump but are hearing the words of the pope. For some, that may result in their shifting opinions.”
Susan Hanssen, history professor at the University of Dallas — a Catholic institution — had a similar view about why Catholic support has dipped, telling EWTN News “a reversal of positions seems to be underway within the Catholic community.
“During Trump‘s campaign, Trump‘s supporters expressed hopes for a fundamental realignment of America’s foreign policy, particularly withdrawing from ‘forever wars,’ while many of Trump’s Catholic critics expressed concern during his campaign that he would disengage America from its support for Ukraine or [for] Israel,” she said. “Support for Trump’s strong stance on Iran seems to be coming now … from Catholics who were wary of Trump earlier.”
Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, has departed the U.S. for his trip to Pakistan, where he plans to directly negotiate with Iranian leaders for a long-term peace while both sides hold off on military strikes during a two-week ceasefire.
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Sadly, I am never called to be part of a poll. Since many Catholics of my acquaintance are in fact Democrats, I dont read anything of value into this poll at all. I am not of the opinion that you need to wait patiently until a lion eats you to protect yourself from him. Lost my husband in the 9/11 attacks, so you might be able to tell where I stand on pre-emptive military actions, whatever they may be. I SUPPORT them.
I am not a global citizen. I am AMERICAN. I support America first. Always. If we have an enemy threatening us, I am not concerned about their citizens, economy, food supply, or anything about them in a war time footing. They made their choice, they live with the consequences. President Trump is interested in “peace” with people who dont understand or respect the term. The Iranians are playing for time and these talks will lead nowhere. Thus far, Iran still has a stranglehold on the Strait. If they fail to open it in the next few days, our wisest move would simply be to resume the bombings. It will take a little time and Americans would have to show some gumption. Very few wars end in a week, no matter who the combatants are. Armed fanatics holding the strait is not an acceptable option.
OK! Let’s start by sending YOUR children and any grand children you may have off to fight the war in the middle east. If you can’t agree to that you are an evil, pro-death hypocrite.
Ms. C:
I believe she noted she already gave her husband in the Islamic War.
In the case of her family, that seems a sufficient sacrifice.
Perhaps you may have a child or husband serving in the US military; is that the concern you are raising?
And if you wish to expose the nation and it’s citizens to nuclear attack in the feckless hope of avoiding a war with fanatics, you are a coward or delusional.
My family has been here for every war since the Pilgrims arrived in 1620. That is, for more than 400 years, before we even HAD a country. Some died. Some were “just” shot and survived the injury. My late father was a Marine; my niece is current active duty. How does your family stack up, sweetheart? I’ll hazard a guess you dont like Donald Trump. Its highly likely he had information about this situation in Iran that you and your leftist propaganda mill folks DO NOT, to help him make the decision to go to war. Religious fanatics should not be armed with nuclear weapons. Period. Fanatics that threaten us harm, even less so. Do you imagine we could TALK them into giving them up? Or should we follow the democrat strategy of sending pallets of cash??
Hysterical and unrealistic barriers to protecting your nation (“send YOUR children”!!) do nothing but ENCOURAGE aggression in our enemies. Being a wimp actually ADDS fuel to the fire. Lost my husband in the 9/11 attacks. The people who killed him were here past their visa expiration (ILLEGALS) and should never have been here. But religious fanatics don’t care WHERE they kill us. So, I will ask YOU, who in your family are you willing to sacrifice as the price to be paid in order to allow aggressive fanatics to retain their nuclear weapons? If you can’t pick someone, you are either ill-educated , unwilling to face reality, or thoroughly propagandized. In any case, pathetic. Refusing to face down fanatics makes the possibility of losing someone in your family more real than you are probably prepared to accept.
I get surveys on a regular basis from a company that contracts for large polling outfits.
It’s legit but I’ve noticed that if you don’t identify yourself in a preset “racial” category you can be disqualified from completing a survey.
Recent surveys have been about politics, President Trump, and quite a bit of attention to vaccine safety issues.
MrsC. Trump has chosen poor Cabinet members. Vaccine “safety”?
RFK Jr. is the most ill equipt Cabinet member. His madness has recently been shown by his “caution” about measles shots for babies that save lives.
The measles vaccine has led to a 73% drop in measles deaths globally since 2000.
In the U.S., measles was declared eliminated in 2000 due to widespread vaccination.
You say that is wise and not fanatic but well-reasoned.
EWTN has become a tool of the extreme leftist political agenda.
EWTN needs to get out of the business of politics.
Here is Netanyahu twitter X threatening any “country”-anybody?- that “wages diplomatic war” against Israel as they would have it for the present and future; that those who oppose would be made to pay an “immediate” price. A kind of survey.
https://x.com/IsraeliPM/status/2042596981600596128
Basically, this is good news, signifying (at least) a healthy skepticism about this foolish war. It is to be hoped that the decline in his numbers will continue.
There is an easy way to end this war–it is for the attacker (in this case the US-Israeli empire) to stop attacking.
We can be assured that “the majority” of “self-identified Catholics” includes all of the 80% or so who don’t go to Mass on Sunday, and the 60% or so who support fraud-same-sex-marriage, and the majority of which probably support abortion as a civil right.
Given the above, which we know from other opinion polls is a virtual certainty, a premise about “the majority of Catholics” has utterly no meaning.
To the attention of EWTN:
https://x.com/Mark_Penn/status/2042815539119034629
The Iran War is not popular. It might have been helpful to get approval from Congress before attacking Iran. Also, don’t tell the public that it will only last a few weeks. Level with the public. Don’t sugar coat it. War is ugly and often lasts longer than thought. Be honest with the American people.
The great Mahatma Gandhi would often say: I love and respect Jesus Christ. But you Christians are so unlike your Christ.