What to Know
President Donald Trump has been lashing out at numerous people who have spoken out about the war in Iran. And while he recently boasted that he is allegedly more popular than one of his new critics, Tucker Carlson, some of his attacks on people have had a more significant impact on his reputation. Trump has continued to fight with Pope Leo, though many would argue that the feud is largely one-sided. And according to a net popularity rating poll, Trump is much less popular among Americans than the Pope is.
In other words, it really seems that fighting with the Pope has backfired. Who would’ve guessed?
The Pope is reportedly “crushing” Trump.
CNN: “It’s a blowout… not even close… Pope Leo absolutely crushing Trump when it comes to how popular they are.” pic.twitter.com/Ww3E4U4pGl
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) April 18, 2026
A recent NBC News poll has revealed that the Pope is more popular than Trump is. A clip of CNN’s Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten discussing the poll has been circulating on social media. In the clip, Enten shows how the Pope has a net popularity rating of +34 while Trump has a net popularity rating of -12. “It’s not even close,” he says in the clip. “It’s a nearly 50-point blowout amongst the American public at large. Pope Leo XIV absolutely crushing President Trump when it comes to how popular they are.”
In his own X post about the poll, Enten wrote, “Maybe Trump’s jealous of the Pope?…It’s a blowout favoring the Pope in terms of popularity in America.”
Amid the controversy, Trump has said he won’t apologize.
When a reporter asked Trump about his comments directed at the Pope earlier this month, Trump doubled down on criticizing him. “I think he’s very weak on crime and other things, so I’m not” going to apologize, he said, per the Associated Press.
Trump has also taken to social media to lash out at the Pope. In an April 12 Truth Social post, Trump wrote, “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.”
In his lengthy rant, he added, “I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t! I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country. And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History.”
Of course, Trump and the Pope are not actually competing against each other.
Even though Trump’s rants sort of suggest otherwise…
Regardless, the polls still seem pretty significant to people, given what they say about how the feud has impacted the president’s popularity. According to The Hill, the president’s approval rating among Catholic voters has declined. The fact that the Pope appears to be “crushing” Trump in the polls might not appear to mean much, but it could have an impact on the 2026 midterm elections.
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