Dem
47
GOP
53
Many Republican senators are unhappy with Donald Trump getting into a d**k-waving contest with the pope. They think it is unfair. After all, Pope Leo XIV is much more popular than Trump and has a much bigger base (particularly if you include non-Catholics who like him). They are especially worried that, given their respective positions (Trump is for war, Leo is for peace), Leo is going to win this one and maybe also the one on Nov. 3.
Several senators have obliquely told Trump to tone it down. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said: "I would leave the church alone." The other South Dakota senator, Mike Rounds (R-SD), said: "I thought, personally, that the approach that the president took in terms of directly attacking the pope was inappropriate." Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) said: "I think popes and presidents should stay in their respective lanes, it's better for all of us." When asked about the AI-generated image of Trump as Dr. Jesus, Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) said: "I'm glad they took it down. I think he thought about it more and took it down. It's a good decision." If taking it down was a good decision, can we infer that putting it up in the first place was a bad decision?
Democrats were less forgiving. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), who is Catholic, said: "His attacks on Pope Leo are inexcusable, disrespectful and deeply disturbing."
Why are Republican senators nervous? Maybe because they know that Trump won a majority of Catholic voters in 2024 but he is now underwater with that important group. A poll taken late last month shows that among Catholics, 47% approve of Trump (with 23% strongly approving) and 52% disapprove (with 40% strongly disapproving). And that was before Trump engaged with Leo.
The Catholic vote in November could be a problem for Republicans in several places. Polish-American Catholics in Michigan and Ohio, where there are races for governor and senator, might be angry with Trump. Latino Catholics in Arizona and Texas could have a big impact on House races there, and the Senate race in Texas. And even in other places with tight races, antagonizing even a modest bloc of voters is rarely a good idea. Denise Murphy McGraw, the national co-chair of Catholics Vote Common Good, said: "This is our American pope. This isn't some guy from Italy or South America or Poland. Everyone is proud." On the other hand, Steve Bannon praised Trump, saying: "It is good in that it gets more of his conservative Catholic base energized. President Trump is smart politically to do this." We fail to see how attacking the pope energizes the conservative Catholic base. Conservative Catholics are generally more religious than liberal Catholics and are less likely to be anti-pope. (V)