Pope Leo has seen his approval ratings among Republican Catholics take a hit following his feud with Donald Trump earlier this year. 

The Chicago-born pontiff and the President were at odds over the Iran War and other issues as Trump at one point issued frequent blistering statements slamming Pope Leo.

While the pope remains broadly popular among Americans, the tiff has hurt him with Catholics on the right, according to a new Pew Research Center poll. 

While 72 percent of Republicans in the church approve of the pope, the figure is down from 84 percent this past August.

It is a much steeper drop than Leo has faced among Democrat Catholics, among whom 84 percent approve, down from 89 percent in August of 2025. 

In the same survey, 39 percent of Republican Catholics said Pope Leo has been too critical of Trump, as opposed to 33 percent who say the President has criticized the pontiff too much. 

In a complete reversal, 70 percent of Democrats say Trump has been too negative about the pope, versus just three percent who say the opposite.   

Democrats (51 percent) slightly outnumber Republicans (45 percent) among American Catholics who responded to the survey. 

Pope Leo’s approval rating is at 78 percent when all American Catholics’ views are factored in, with just 12 percent disapproving.

Pope Leo has seen his approval ratings among Republican Catholics take a hit following his feud with Donald Trump earlier this year

The Chicago-born pontiff and the President were at odds over the Iran War and other issues, as Trump at one point issued frequent blistering statements slamming Pope Leo

That number climbs up to 85 percent approval when asking Catholics who attend mass at least once a week. 

The 78 percent approval rating is about the same as predecessor Pope Francis’ in February 2025, the last survey taken before his death. 

The President and the Holy Father have since gone on to issue withering statements about one another, albeit indirectly on the pope’s part, regarding the war on Iran. 

The pontiff has also disagreed with Trump regarding the Department of Justice’s reinstitution of the death penalty. 

In a long-winded Truth Social post in April, Trump berated Pope Leo for being ‘weak on Crime’ and blasted the Chicago-born Pope for meeting with President Barack Obama’s political adviser, David Axelrod, ‘a LOSER from the Left.’ 

The feud simmered down after Pope Leo issued a clarifying message about his remarks and accused the media of sensationalizing the narrative.

Trump told CBS News that he decided to unload on the American-born Pope after seeing a 60 Minutes segment that showcased the pontiff’s disapproval of the Iran war and Trump’s immigration agenda.

‘He’s wrong on the issues,’ Trump said. ‘I don’t think he should be getting into politics. I think he probably learned that from this.’

While the pope remains broadly popular among Americans, the tiff has hurt him with Catholics on the right

The President maintains much friendlier relations with Leo’s MAGA supporting brother, Louis 

Trump gave a blunt ‘no’ when asked if he had any plans to call Pope Leo and said he had ‘no idea’ if the pontiff would visit the United States while Trump is President.

‘It’s up to him, not up to me,’ Trump said.

The President maintains much friendlier relations with Leo’s MAGA-supporting brother, Louis.

Louis Prevost attended Trump’s UFC Freedom 250 celebration on the White House Lawn on Sunday.  

Pope Leo has said that he plans to continue speaking out against war, telling Reuters: ‘I don’t want to get into a debate with him.’

Speaking aboard the papal flight to Algiers, where Leo is starting a ten-day tour to four African countries, he added: ‘I don’t think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing.

‘I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialog and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems.

‘Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.’