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By Jordan King
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A year after Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost first emerged onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica as Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pontiff has endeared himself to Americans in matters of global religion and politics, and stands 47 points above President Donald Trump in favorability, according to a recent poll.
As roughly 20 percent of U.S. adults, according to Pew Research Center, America's 53 million Catholics remain one of the country’s largest religious groups, long regarded as politically influential because they are spread across both major parties and key battleground states.
As the Vatican continues to navigate its stances on wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, major Jubilee celebrations and a growing diplomatic clash with Trump over migration, nationalism and the role of moral authority in international politics, the Pope's vocal opposition to the Trump administration on multiple policies could potentially play a part in the approaching midterms.
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Pope Leo's Favorability Rating
An April 17-20, 2026 Economist/YouGov poll of 1,707 U.S. adults found Pope Leo holding a substantially stronger favorability rating than Trump during the opening year of his papacy.
The survey found 55 percent of Americans viewed Leo favorably, compared with 24 percent who viewed him unfavorably, giving the pope a net favorability rating of +31 points. Trump, by comparison, registered a 40 percent favorable rating and a 56 percent unfavorable rating in the same poll, for a net rating of -16 points.
Leo’s strongest support came from Black and Hispanic Americans. The poll found 60 percent of Black respondents and 62 percent of Hispanic respondents viewed the pope favorably, compared with 15 percent and 37 percent, respectively, who viewed Trump favorably.
Among white respondents, Leo held a 54 percent favorable rating, while Trump registered 46 percent.
Older Americans were especially favorable toward the pope. Leo’s favorability reached 63 percent among adults aged 45 to 64, compared with 43 percent favorability for Trump in the same age group. Among Americans aged 65 and older, Leo held a 58 percent favorable rating while Trump registered 47 percent.
The survey also highlighted deep political polarization surrounding both figures.
Leo was viewed favorably by 87 percent of people who voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 and 35 percent of Trump voters. Trump himself registered an 84 percent favorable rating among his own 2024 voters but only 2 percent among Harris voters.
Among self-identified liberals, 80 percent viewed Leo favorably, while 7 percent viewed Trump favorably. Conservatives were more divided: 33 percent viewed Leo favorably, compared with 80 percent who viewed Trump favorably.
Views on whether Leo had become too political also reflected partisan divides. Overall, 31 percent of Americans said the pope had become too involved in politics, while 44 percent said he had not.
Among Trump voters, 66 percent said Leo had become too political, compared with just 5 percent of Harris voters. Some 71 percent of MAGA supporters said the pope had become too involved in politics.
The pope’s criticism of war and calls for peace during tensions involving Iran also appeared to resonate more strongly with Americans than Trump’s position.
Forty-eight percent of respondents said they approved of Leo’s statements on Iran, compared with 24 percent who disapproved. When asked whether they agreed more with Trump and Vice President JD Vance or Pope Leo on the Iran war, 48 percent sided with the pope, while 28 percent sided with Trump and Vance.
Pope Leo XIV's First-Year Timeline—Key Moments
May 8, 2025: First American pope elected
Prevost was elected pope, becoming the first U.S.-born pontiff in Catholic Church history. During his first appearance from the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square, the new Pope Leo opened with the words: "Peace be with you all," immediately establishing the defining tone of his papacy.
In his first Sunday blessing, Leo called for an end to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza while addressing an estimated 100,000 people from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica.
On Gaza, he said: "Let the fighting cease immediately, let humanitarian aid be provided to the exhausted civilian population, and may all hostages be released."
On Ukraine, he said: "I carry in my heart the sufferings of the beloved Ukrainian people. Let everything possible be done to achieve genuine, just and lasting peace as soon as possible."
Mid-2025: A papacy centered on peace and unity
Throughout his first months, Leo repeatedly framed his mission around peace, dialogue and Church unity. Vatican speeches and homilies consistently stressed reconciliation and bridge-building amid global instability.
The Vatican increasingly presented Leo as a pastoral and diplomatic figure focused on lowering tensions rather than escalating political confrontation.
Mid-2025 onward: Diplomatic engagement over Ukraine and the Middle East
Leo met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and publicly offered the Vatican as a neutral venue for peace negotiations related to the war in Ukraine. He also made repeated appeals for ceasefires and humanitarian protections during conflicts in the Middle East.
The Vatican under Leo sought to revive its traditional role as a diplomatic mediator while avoiding overt alignment with major geopolitical blocs.
August 2025: Jubilee youth events draw massive crowds
The pope presided over major Jubilee celebrations, including a youth vigil that drew more than one million attendees.
The gatherings reinforced continuity with the Jubilee initiatives launched under his predecessor, Pope Francis, while highlighting Leo’s emphasis on youth engagement and global participation.
October 2025: Historic meeting with King Charles III
Leo met and prayed with King Charles III in a widely watched ecumenical encounter viewed as symbolically important for Catholic-Anglican relations. The meeting was framed by Vatican officials as part of broader efforts to strengthen Christian unity and interfaith dialogue.
October 2025: First major doctrinal document
Leo released his first major apostolic exhortation, Dilexi Te, focused on poverty, inequality and care for marginalized communities.
The major theme, which focused on God’s declaration of love to a suffering Christian community, can be summed up in the following extract from the document: "As we contemplate Christ’s love, ‘we too are inspired to be more attentive to the sufferings and needs of others, and confirmed in our efforts to share in his work of liberation as instruments for the spread of his love.'"
September 2025: Canonizations of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati
Leo canonized Carlo Acutis, widely described as the first millennial saint, alongside Pier Giorgio Frassati.
The canonizations were seen as part of broader Vatican efforts to connect younger generations to Catholic identity and contemporary expressions of faith.
Late 202: First major foreign trip
Leo traveled to Turkey and Lebanon during one of the first major foreign visits of his papacy. The trip emphasized ecumenical outreach, interfaith dialogue and support for Christian communities in conflict regions.
Late 2025 into 2026: Governance and reform signals
The Vatican introduced new financial oversight measures and governance initiatives during Leo’s first year while also emphasizing the implementation of Vatican II reforms.
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January 2026: Jubilee of Hope closes
Leo formally closed the Jubilee of Hope celebrations on January 6 before convening a major consistory of cardinals. He marked the end of the Vatican's 2025 Holy Year by denouncing anti-foreigner attitudes and consumerism.
2026: Expanded outreach to the Global South
Leo traveled across parts of Africa, including Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, while continuing diplomatic visits elsewhere.
The trips reflected the pope’s longstanding ties to Peru and his broader emphasis on the Global South as central to the future of Catholicism.
2026: Escalating tensions with Donald Trump
By the second half of Leo’s first year, public disagreements between the Vatican and Trump intensified over immigration, nationalism and U.S. foreign policy. But the feud has come to a head in recent weeks over Leo’s criticism of the war in Iran.
The dispute marked one of the clearest political confrontations of Leo’s papacy to date.
Pope Leo’s Feud With Donald Trump
Leo has strongly condemned the war in the Middle East, and the "delusion of omnipotence" that caused it, saying it has led to "absurd and inhuman violence."
Last month, when Trump wrote on social media that "an entire civilization will die tonight" if Iran failed to meet a U.S. deadline, Leo responded: "This is truly unacceptable." Trump later posted a scathing attack on the pope in a post on Truth Social, calling him "weak on crime" and "terrible for foreign policy."
Earlier this week, Trump said the pontiff was "endangering" Catholics with his opposition to the war in Iran.
"The pope would rather talk about the fact that it's OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon," Trump told Hugh Hewitt, a conservative radio host. "I don't think that's very good."
Leo responded, telling reporters: "If anyone wishes to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so with the truth. The Church has spoken out for years against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt about this, and I simply hope to be heard for the sake of the Word of God."
Both the pope and Trump administration officials have downplayed the rift. Leo previously said there has been a "narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects."
The pope added that it was "not in my interest at all" to engage in a debate with Trump, as he prefers to focus instead on preaching a message of peace.
Vance, a Catholic, responded, attributing the conflict to the media. He wrote on X: "I am grateful to Pope Leo for saying this. While the media narrative constantly gins up conflict—and yes, real disagreements have happened and will happen—the reality is often much more complicated."
Vance has also said the pope needs to be very careful when he talks about matters of theology.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the pope on Thursday at the Apostolic Palace, his official residence. Rubio shared photos with the pontiff on X after the visit, saying the meeting was to "underscore our shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity."
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