Americans Reject Trump’s Jesus Self-Portrait While Embracing Pope Leo’s Calls for Peace

Americans are making it clear they see through Donald Trump’s latest stunts, according to a recent ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll. While Pope Leo, the Chicago-born pontiff, enjoys a broadly favorable view for urging peace and condemning war, Trump’s self-portrayal as a Jesus-like healer and his hawkish social media posts about Iran have drawn widespread condemnation — including from many of his own supporters.

The poll, conducted April 24-28, finds that 41 percent of Americans hold a favorable view of Pope Leo, with Catholic Americans even more supportive at 61 percent. The pope’s call for Americans to pressure Congress to reject war with Iran was met with a positive reaction from 66 percent of respondents. This contrasts sharply with Trump’s false claim that Pope Leo supports Iran having nuclear weapons, a post that 57 percent of Americans viewed negatively.

Trump’s April 4 social media post declaring “A whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran does not comply with U.S. demands sparked outrage from 76 percent of Americans, including majorities across religious groups. But the most stunning rejection came from Trump’s bizarre AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus performing a healing — a move that nearly nine in ten Americans found offensive or inappropriate. Among white evangelical Christians, 87 percent disapproved, a rare moment of dissonance within Trump’s core base.

Adding fuel to the fire, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s prayer at a Pentagon service calling for “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy” was met with a 69 percent negative reaction, including 53 percent of white evangelicals who expressed disapproval.

This poll underscores a broader pattern: Americans, including many religious conservatives, are wary of the Trump administration’s mixing of politics with religious spectacle and warmongering rhetoric. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer’s call for strategic clarity on Iran, by contrast, received a 62 percent positive response, signaling a public hunger for sober leadership over chaos.

As Trump continues to weaponize religion for political gain, the American people are sending a clear message — they want peace, honesty, and accountability, not self-aggrandizing theatrics or reckless threats of war. The pope’s steady voice of reason is resonating far more than Trump’s bluster, even in a polarized nation.