FEVER PITCH

Trump Faces ‘Leo Fever’ Backlash Over Bitter Feud With Pope

Trump’s support among Catholics is tanking while churches are experiencing a surge in converts.

Donald Trump’s standing among Catholic voters is plummeting as a “Pope Leo fever” collides with the president’s escalating attacks on the pontiff and America’s unpopular war in Iran.

One year after the first American-born pontiff was elected, many Catholic churches across the U.S. are welcoming their highest numbers of new Catholics in recent years.

At the same time, recent polling by the Pew Research Center suggests Trump’s support among Catholics has softened over the past year, with approval among white Catholics slipping several points and collapsing to record lows among Hispanic Catholics.

According a new poll by Republican pollsters Research, Trump’s support from Catholics has also dropped below 50 percent for the first time since the beginning of his war with Iran.

“There was already a very significant divide in the Catholic community over the question of Iran, but this has really hit hard,” Catholic commentator Christopher Hale, who led Catholic outreach for Barack Obama, told The Daily Beast.

The erosion comes as Pope Leo XIV enjoys a burst of popularity across the global Church, and as more Americans—particularly Millennials and Gen Z—join the Catholic Church. This past Easter, for example, some archdioceses recorded their highest number of new Catholics in two decades.

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“I’ve been calling it ‘Leo fever’,” said CNN Vatican analyst Katie McGrady. “We saw increasing numbers in the past couple of years because especially Gen Z are looking for stability, they‘re looking for community, they‘re looking for answers.

“But a pope who speaks English—a polyglot pope, who can speak in a lot of different languages and who‘s very straightforward in what he‘s saying and what he‘s inviting people to—is attractive.”

That momentum has only sharpened the contrast with Trump, who accused the pope over the weekend of being too liberal, “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.

The incendiary president then ignited another backlash, including within his own MAGA base, by sharing an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus.

In the image, Trump appears to be healing a man in a hospital bed while surrounded by American imagery like the U.S. flag, bald eagles, and several monuments.

“This is gross blasphemy. Faith is not a prop,” Brilyn Hollyhand, a 19-year-old MAGA influencer, posted on X.

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The pope, meanwhile, responded to Trump’s attack in strikingly direct terms. Speaking to reporters during an overseas trip, he dismissed Trump’s criticism and doubled down on his message, saying he would continue to proclaim the Gospel’s call for peace.

“I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do,” he said.

Asked specifically about Truth Social, the pontiff noted: “It’s ironic—the name of the site itself. Say no more.”

Iran also weighed in to mock Trump, with Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian writing to the Pope on X: “I condemn the insult to Your Excellency on behalf of the great nation of Iran, and declare that the desecration of Jesus, the prophet of peace and brotherhood, is not acceptable to any free person.”

“I wish you glory by Allah,” he added.

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Trump was re-elected for a second term with the overwhelming support of religious groups.

However, a study from the Pew Research Center released in February showed his support slipping among all faith-based groups, including evangelicals, Protestants and Catholics. His approval was particularly low with Hispanic Catholics (23 percent), whereas about half of White Catholics approved of him.

The latest Shaw & Co/Beacon poll found that only 48 percent of Catholic voters approve of the job Trump is doing as president, while 52 percent disapprove. While 23% of Catholics strongly approve of Trump, 40% strongly disapprove.

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