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By Sam Stevenson
Associate News Editor
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President Donald Trump's approval rating among Catholic voters has slipped underwater, according to new polling, as tensions involving the Vatican draw fresh attention.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Newsweek in a statement, "What matters most to the American people is having a Commander-in-Chief who takes decisive action to eliminate threats and keep them safe, which is exactly what President Trump did with the successful Operation Epic Fury."
Newsweek has contacted the Vatican for comment.
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Why It Matters
Tensions have emerged between the Trump administration and the Vatican, with Pope Leo XIV speaking out against the president's foreign and domestic policies. Recent reports of a tense January meeting between senior Pentagon officials and the Vatican's ambassador have also drawn international attention, and Vice President JD Vance has pledged to review the claims.
With the 2026 midterms approaching, changes among religious voting blocs could carry broader political significance.
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What To Know
Trump is now underwater with Catholic voters, according to a comparison of the two latest Fox News national polls conducted in late February and late March—prior to reports of the Pentagon-Vatican meeting.
In the most recent survey, conducted March 20-23, 48 percent of Catholic respondents said they approved of the job Trump is doing as president, while 52 percent said they disapproved, resulting in a net rating of minus 4 points.
The poll was conducted under the joint direction of the Democratic firm Beacon Research and the Republican firm Shaw & Company Research.
It included interviews with 1,001 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file.
Participants were contacted via live telephone interviews on landlines and cellphones or completed the survey online after receiving a text invitation.
The margin of error for the full sample was plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Those numbers mark a reversal from the previous Fox News poll conducted February 28 through March 2, which showed Trump above water with Catholic voters.
In that earlier survey, 52 percent of Catholics approved of Trump's job performance, while 48 percent disapproved, producing a net approval of plus 4 points.
The poll was also conducted by Beacon Research and Shaw & Company Research, which included interviews with 1,004 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file and also carried a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Respondents participated through live telephone interviews or online surveys following a text invitation, and the methodology was consistent with the later poll.
Taken together, the two polls suggest a notable shift among Catholic voters over a period of several weeks, flipping Trump's standing with that group from a net positive to a net negative.
Scrutiny Over Pentagon-Vatican Reports
Attention around U.S.-Vatican relations intensified after Vance said he would look into reports that emerged on Monday about the January meeting between Pentagon and Vatican officials.
The Free Press first reported the incident, citing Vatican officials briefed on the meeting who alleged that the Vatican was urged to back U.S. military tactics.
Vance, speaking in Hungary, said he welcomed continued dialogue with the Holy See and cautioned against drawing conclusions from unverified accounts.
Pope Publicly Criticizes Trump's Iran Rhetoric
The pope has publicly criticized the Trump administration's handling of the Iran war, condemning the president's rhetoric toward the Islamic Republic. Trump said on Tuesday that "a whole civilization will die tonight" if Iran failed to meet a U.S. deadline.
Speaking near Rome, Leo said the language amounted to a threat against the Iranian people as a whole and described it as "truly unacceptable."
Ongoing Warnings About Global Conflict
Leo has repeatedly urged world leaders to halt armed conflicts, including the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and Russia's continued war in Ukraine.
His recent Easter message warned against what he called a growing "globalization of indifference" toward human suffering.
Questions Surround Planned U.S. Visit
Reports suggested Leo, the first American-born pope, had been invited to the United States as part of the country's upcoming 250th anniversary commemorations.
According to the Free Press, the Vatican postponed those plans indefinitely amid foreign policy disagreements.
Instead, the pope is scheduled to visit the Italian island of Lampedusa on July 4, a symbolic destination tied to migration across the Mediterranean.
What People Are Saying
A spokesperson for the Department of Defense told Newsweek: "The meeting between Pentagon and Vatican officials was a respectful and reasonable discussion. We have nothing but the highest regard and welcome continued dialogue with the Holy See."
Vice President JD Vance said: "I would actually like to talk to Cardinal Cristophe Pierre and, frankly, to our people, to figure out what actually happened. I think it's always a bad idea to offer an opinion on stories that are unconfirmed and uncorroborated, so I'm not going to do that."
In response to the president's approval rating polling, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Newsweek: "President Trump campaigned proudly on his promise to deny the Iranian regime the ability to develop a nuclear weapon, which is what this noble operation accomplishes. The President does not make these incredibly important national security decisions based on fluid opinion polls, but on the best interest of the American people."
What Happens Next
Attention is likely to remain on U.S.-Vatican relations and the Trump administration's national security posture as new polling emerges.
Future surveys may help clarify whether this shift among Catholic voters reflects a temporary reaction or a more lasting change ahead of the midterms.
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