Americans don't like Trump's Jesus posts and back the Pope, poll shows

• A recent poll found most Americans disapproved of President Trump's comments and posts related to religion.
• Nearly 9 in 10 Americans had a negative reaction to an AI-generated image of Trump as a Jesus Christ-like figure.
• The poll also found a majority of Americans disapproved of Trump's posts regarding the Iran conflict.
• Pope Leo XIV holds a 25-point net favorable margin among Americans, according to the poll.

Most Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump's comments about Pope Leo XIV. But they object even more to his recent AI image depicting himself as Jesus Christ, a new poll shows.

Nearly 9 in 10 Americans (87%) have a negative reaction to the Trump image, which he posted on Truth Social, including 69% who express a strongly negative reaction, results from the latest Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll show.

The latest findings from the wide-ranging poll conducted April 24-28 on Trump's handling of the Iran war, the economy, and the cost of living come as the president has refueled angst with the pope just days before Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to make a high-stakes visit to the Vatican.

The image posted on April 12 showed Trump in white and red robes, laying his hand on a sick man's forehead with a light emanating from his other hand, as an American flag waved and an American eagle flew in the background, which many interpreted as a Christ-like or messianic depiction.

The post sparked widespread backlash, even from some of Trump's party, and allegations of blasphemy. The post was deleted from the president's Truth Social account on April 13.

"I thought it was me as a doctor. And it had to do with Red Cross," Trump told reporters at the White House on April 13. "And only the fake news could come up with that one ... I make people a lot better."

The poll said 80% of those who voted for Trump and 79% of Republicans surveyed had a negative reaction to Trump’s post.

Shortly before the president posted the controversial image, he wrote a lengthy message on Truth Social criticizing the pope, who has been critical of the Iran war, as "Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons." The pontiff responded and said he has "no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel."

Trump then doubled down on April 15, resharing an AI-generated image showing him being embraced by Jesus. The post showed Trump with an angelic light and the U.S. flag circling him and the AI Jesus. 

"The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!! President DJT," Trump wrote in the April 15 post, which had its own caption reading: "I was never a very religious man .. but doesn't it seem, with all these satanic, demonic, child sacrificing monsters being exposed ... that God might be playing his Trump card!"

Americans respond negatively to Trump's controversial Iran post

The Washington Post-ABC-Ipsos poll also noted that a majority of Americans responded negatively to another controversial Truth Social post on April 7 about the Iran war that drew widespread condemnation.

The poll said 76% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s post threatening "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again," if Iran did not make a deal with the U.S., which seemingly suggested the use of nuclear weapons.

Another 53% of Americans polled "strongly" disapproving the post, which also led to extensive scrutiny and debate from fellow politicians, theologians, and other experts who study ethics and war.

Most Catholics (75%) and Protestants (70%) polled also had a negative reaction to Trump’s post, along with non-Christians (72%).

Additionally, 69% of Americans disapproved of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth praying for U.S. troops to inflict "overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy," the poll found.

Poll finds Pope favorable among Americans

The Washington Post-ABC-Ipsos poll found that many Americans favored the pontiff. The poll said Pope Leo has a 25-point net favorable margin among Americans overall, with 41% favorable, 16% unfavorable, and 43% saying they have no opinion of the pontiff.

The poll also noted that 66% of Americans have a positive reaction to Pope Leo asking Americans on April 7 to contact Congress to work for peace and reject war, while 57% polled have a negative reaction to Trump's Truth Social post that read, "I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon." 

Among Catholic Americans, 70% had a positive reaction to Pope Leo asking Americans to contact Congress, and 61% were negative toward Trump’s post about the pope and nuclear weapons.

Overall, among Catholic Americans who have seen this feud become the most contentious relationship between a secular leader and the papacy dating back to medieval times, the pope's favorability climbs to 61%, the poll said. Just 14% disapprove of the pope, and 25% of those Catholics polled have no opinion.

Meanwhile, Trump’s approval rating has dropped to 37%, down from 45% in February 2025, the poll said.