New poll shows Trump trails Pope Leo by 54 points in favorability
A newly released Economist/YouGov survey of more than 1,600 American adults has put Trump’s popularity problem in stark relief: Pope Leo XIV holds a net favorability rating of +37, while Trump sits at a dismal -17. That’s a 54-point gap between the sitting president and the leader of the Catholic Church.
The poll, released Tuesday, ranked the Pope as the most popular public figure in the country. Jon Stewart came in second at +14, followed by Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona at +10. Meanwhile, Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. landed near the very bottom at -27, just above Tucker Carlson, who clocked in at a jaw-dropping -36.
The results land at a particularly awkward moment for the White House. Trump has spent recent weeks publicly attacking Pope Leo, calling the American-born pontiff “far-left” and accusing him of supporting terrorists after Leo repeatedly called for peace in Iran and criticized the administration’s war posture. On Saturday, Trump went after the Pope again for meeting with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Pope Leo has refused to take the bait, denying that any feud exists. But Trump has kept swinging anyway.
The political math here is brutal. Trump is picking public fights with the most popular public figure in America, and the American people are watching. Every attack on the Pope is a reminder of where Trump stands in the eyes of the public: underwater, isolated, and increasingly at odds with a country that has simply moved on from him.