While President Trump frames himself as a defender of the Christian faith and enjoys support amongst evangelicals, a recent study shows that not many of them believe the President has a strong faith. A recent Pew study conducted from April 6^th to April 12^th, just before the President’s spat with the Pope, found that 70% of US adults believe the President is either “not too or not at all religious.”  That’s an 8-point increase from a poll conducted October 2024. Twenty-four percent stated the President is somewhat religious, while only five percent described him as “very religious.”

Even amongst white evangelicals, which have been the President’s strongest supporters, only five percent would label President Trump as “very religious.” Forty-four percent labeled him as “somewhat” while 51% labeled him as “not too/ not at all religious.” Not surprisingly, Democrats were less likely to describe President Trump as religious than Republicans. Fifty percent of Republican or Republican leaning respondent saw the President as “very” or “somewhat” religious, while only 10% of Democrats or those that lean Democrat said the same. Eighty-nine percent of Democrats described him as either not too religious or not religious at all.

While white evangelicals may not see Trump as particularly religious, 67% of them would describe President Trump as standing up for at least some of their religious beliefs. Fifty-one percent of white Catholics said the same, although whether or not that number has changed since the President’s attack on Pope Leo is unknown. Democrats and Democrat leaners were the group to believe that Trump stood up the least for their religious values, with only 11% agreeing. These views have largely remained unchanged from the study in February 2024, aside from Hispanic Catholics. In 2024, 40% stated the President stood up a little or not at all for their religious beliefs. In the newest poll, that number had increased to 55%.

Pew Research Center associate Chip Rotolo, who wrote the survey summary, discussed the findings on Instagram. Rotolo noted that “people have many different ideas about what it means to be religious. This question leaves that open to people’s own evaluation. … We (are) simply trying to accurately capture the public’s views and how that has changed over time.” Evangelicals who support President Trump have often pointed to his policies while admitting there are certain personal failings, such as his adulterous marriage history and oftentimes vicious rhetoric, that make it difficult to fully support the President.