Pew finds 30% of US Catholics approve of Trump's job performance

White House did not directly address questions about the bishops’ meeting

According to Pew Research Center, which analyzes religion in the US, opinions of Trump’s performance have slipped among all major religious groups. In a survey this month, 30% of all US Catholics said they approved of his job performance, compared with 47% when he returned to the White House in 2025. The BBC said the polling could have an effect on the 3 November midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress. In the same survey, 42% of Catholics said they preferred the Democrats running in their local House of Representatives races, while slightly fewer, 39%, favored Republicans.

The White House did not directly answer the BBC’s questions about the meeting or the bishops’ subsequent comments. White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement, “There has never been a greater president for Catholic Americans than President Trump, and his strong record proves it.” Margo Martin, a special assistant to the president and communications adviser who frequently shares behind-the-scenes images of Trump on social media, released a video of the meeting.

The image accompanying the BBC report was credited to x.com/MargoMartin47 and captioned, “A screengrab of a clip from the 22 October meeting at the White House.” Photos and video from the meeting showed a group of bishops standing around Trump at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. The release prompted many people to ask whether the bishops had made a political statement.

Archbishop Jeffrey Grob and Bishop William Joensen said they regretted the 22 October meeting after the images were released. Milwaukee Archbishop Grob, one of those pictured, said he had believed the meeting was private and not “a political photo opportunity.” Grob said that after 90 minutes of meetings with officials, the religious leaders were ushered into the Oval Office to pray with Trump. He also said none of the participants had given permission for the public distribution or posting of video or photos.

Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines, Iowa, said in a statement posted online that officials with the White House Faith Office arranged the meeting to discuss issues including immigration, visas for international clergy and the “exploitation of vulnerable poor persons.” Joensen said, “In no way did any of us intend by our involvement to endorse any political party or any individual candidate.” He added, “I wish I had been more shrewd and less simple, like those who exploited our meeting for partisan political purposes.”

Grob said the images later caused concern among some of his congregants. “I soon began receiving messages of serious concern over the possibility that I had inadvertently participated in a political event less than two weeks before a national election,” he wrote. “I also heard from some who felt wounded because of the ways they or their family have been harmed by the president’s policies,” he added.

The meeting and video release came amid the contentious relationship between Trump and Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Catholic church. Some US bishops had criticized the administration’s immigration policies, while Trump typically enjoyed support among Catholic voters. During his second term, Trump had a tense relationship with Pope Leo XIV while his administration pursued the removal of people it believed were in the United States illegally. Related BBC coverage described Trump’s rift with Pope Leo as playing out in public and “costing him valuable support.” Another BBC report said Maga had said Pope Leo may be American but was not “America first.” A further BBC report asked, “Have the American Pope and the American administration fallen out?”

Nine days before the Oval Office meeting with the bishops, Bishop Brendon Cahill and Walter Kim, the president of the National Association of Evangelicals, issued a statement urging “Christian compassion and wisdom in the immigration debate.” They said the immigration clampdown has led to the “sowing of fear, the fracturing of families, the deprivation of due process, and the vilification of our neighbors.”

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops also recently condemned the Trump administration’s plans to livestream a military execution. The plans were later scrapped.

Both Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are Catholics who have visited the Vatican during Trump’s second term. Robert Barron of Minnesota, a Midwestern member of the bishops’ conference, and former New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan also agreed last year to serve on Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission.