Trump's attack on Pope Leo XIV may hurt GOP with Catholic voters

Source: USA Today

April 14, 2026 Updated April 15, 2026, 4:19 p.m. ET


President Donald Trump has stepped on a political hornet's nest with his attacks on Pope Leo XIV that have infuriated Catholics worldwide. The rift with the Vatican could exacerbate an already challenging 2026 election season for congressional Republicans as Trump risks alienating a key constituency.

The president castigated the world's first American pontiff as "weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy" in a long Truth Social post April 12, then told reporters he was "not a big fan" of the religious leader.

Several conservative-leaning Catholic leaders have publicly called on Trump to apologize – which the president rebuffed – saying they shouldn't have to choose between their faith and their country. "There is no doubt that President Trump's post insulting Pope Leo crossed, again, a line of decorum that plays an important part in diplomacy," Kelsey Reinhardt, president and CEO of CatholicVote, a political advocacy group, said April 13 in a post on X.

Catholics are the single largest religious denomination in the United States, accounting for one-fifth of the population, according to the Pew Research Center. Catholics are 10 percentage points more likely to lean toward Republicans than Democrats, Pew found in 2025. Trump lost the Catholic vote to Joe Biden 52%-47% in 2020, according to CNN exit polls. He won over Catholics 59%-39% against Kamala Harris in 2024. 2026 is expected to be a tough year for the GOP as forecasters shift more races in Democrats' favor.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/04/14/donald-trump-attack-pope-leo-2026-midterms/89606369007/