A poll found two-thirds of Americans have a positive view of Pope Leo XIV’s calls for peace amid the Iran war and a majority of people hold a negative view of President Donald Trump’s criticisms of the Holy Father and threats to destroy Iranian civilization.
The Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll surveyed 2,560 American adults between April 24–28. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.
Pollsters asked people whether they hold a positive or negative view about statements and actions by Trump, Leo, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
It found that 66% of people have a positive view of Leo asking Americans to contact members of Congress to work toward peace and reject war and only 30% view his words negatively.
Leo made that comment to reporters on April 7 after Trump threatened to annihilate the “whole civilization” of Iran if the country did not reach a peace deal with the U.S. The Holy Father called the threat “a sign of the hatred, the division, the destruction that the human being is capable of.”
The pontiff also called the language “unacceptable,” and the poll found most Americans agreed with that assessment. Only 21% of people viewed the threat positively, and 76% viewed it negatively.
Americans also disliked Trump saying “I don’t want a pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” which was one of the president’s reactions to the pope’s comments. It found just 38% of people viewing the retort positively and 57% viewing it negatively.
Leo never said Iran should have nuclear weapons but rather spoke against nuclear proliferation in the Middle East when Iran and Israel entered military conflict in 2025. The pontiff also spoke against nuclear weapons more broadly.
The poll found that Americans also overwhelmingly disliked Trump posting an AI-created image of himself resembling Jesus Christ amid his public disagreements with the Holy Father, finding that only 9% of people viewed it positively and 87% viewed it negatively. The president deleted the image and said he thought it portrayed him dressed as a doctor rather than Christ.
Americans also disliked a public prayer by Hegseth in which he asked God for “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy” in relation to U.S. attacks on Iran. The poll found only 27% of Americans viewed those comments positively and 69% negatively.
Views on Trump and Leo
Trump’s approval among Catholics and Americans broadly has fallen in recent months amid the Iran war and the higher cost of gas and food and broader hikes in inflation and the cost of living that followed.
The poll found Trump’s disapproval from Americans rose to 62% and his approval rating was only 37%. On certain key issues, Trump’s approval is even worse, with 66% disapproving of the way he is handling Iran, 72% disapproving of his handling of inflation, and 76% disapproving of the way he has handled the cost of living.
It found 46% believe Trump’s attacks on Iran are inconsistent with his campaign promise to avoid foreign wars, 22% see it as consistent, and 30% are unsure. It found 36% of people believe military force against Iran was the right decision, and 61% view it as a mistake.
American views about Leo are much better, although many non-Catholics still do not have an opinion about the first American pontiff.
Only 38% of Catholics said they approve of Trump, and 61% said they disapprove. Among white Catholics, 49% approve and 51% disapprove. Among Hispanic Catholics, 25% approve and 72% disapprove.
The poll found that 41% of Americans have a favorable view of Leo, 16% have a negative view, and 43% have no opinion. Among Catholics, 61% have favorable views of the pope, 14% have unfavorable views, and 25% do not have an opinion.
Among Democratic or Democratic-leaning Catholics, 76% have a favorable view of Leo, 14% have a negative view, and 18% have no opinion. With Republican and Republican-leaning Catholics, 48% have a positive view, 23% have a negative view, and 29% have no opinion.
The poll found 60% of white Catholics have a favorable opinion of Leo and 15% have a negative view, with 24% holding no opinion. For Hispanic Catholics, 59% have a favorable view 12% have a negative view, and 29% have no opinion.
John White, professor emeritus of politics at The Catholic University of America, told EWTN News the poll shows “the danger and absurdity” of Trump directly criticizing Leo when the president is facing bad poll numbers and when those who have an opinion about the pope mostly view him positively.
“Trump spent even more political capital with his false assertion that the pope favors a nuclear Iran,” he said. “As Pope Leo responded, this is simply not true. The teachings of the Catholic Church and of Pope Leoʼs predecessors have been consistent in this regard.”
Unlike Trump, White said Leo does not “think in terms of political capital but only to preach the Gospel.”
“In this, Pope Leo is fulfilling his mandate,” he said. “And the message of the Gospel has endured because billions of people have accepted it.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet with Leo on May 7, although Rubio said this meeting was already planned and is not related to Trump’s comments.
For his part, Leo told reporters it’s “not in my interest at all” to debate with Trump: “So we go on the journey, we continue proclaiming the Gospel message.”
This story was updated at 5:15 p.m. ET on May 6, 2026, to include additional polling data related to favorability of the president and the pope among Catholics.
