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President Donald Trump’s net favorability was 54 points behind the American-born Pope
Isabel Keane in New York Tuesday 02 June 2026 20:56 BST- Bookmark
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President Donald Trump is less popular than Pope Leo XIV — by a wide margin, according to a new survey.
The poll from The Economist/YouGov, published Tuesday, surveyed over 1,600 U.S. citizens about the favorability of several public figures, including the president, the pope, Jon Stewart, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Kamala Harris.
The Pope was the most popular public figure, with a net favorability of +37. Trump trailed behind the American-born pontiff by 54 points, earning a net favorability of -17, per the poll.
The second most popular public figure, according to the survey, was comedian Jon Stewart, who had a net favorability of +14.
Other public figures who ranked higher than Trump included Arizona Senator Mark Kelly (+10), Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff (+6) and former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (+1).
open image in galleryPresident Donald Trump is less popular than American- born Pope Leo XIV, according to a new poll. The two have feuded in recent months (AFP/Getty)
open image in galleryPope Leo XIV had a net favorability of +37, while Trump’s was -17, according to the poll (Reuters)Plenty of public figures drew more negative opinions than positive, but were still more popular than the president.
They include New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (-3), California Gov. Gavin Newsom (-5), Vice President JD Vance (-8) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (-8).
Those who were deemed less popular than the president were Donald Trump Jr. (-27) and conservative commentator Tucker Carlson (-36).
The wide-ranging poll also covered how a record-high number of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling his job as president, with 61 percent disapproving. That’s a net job approval of -26 percent — the lowest he has had in either term, according to YouGov.
The majority of Americans — 64 percent — also disapprove of how Trump is handling the war in Iran, according to YouGov.
The poll’s findings come as Trump continues his months-long attack on Pope Leo, following the pontiff’s repeated criticisms of the administration and its ongoing war with Iran. The pontiff has been an outspoken advocate of peace, and as a result, Trump has taken to attacking him online, branding him as “WEAK” on crime and “terrible in foreign policy,” while also claiming to prefer the pontiff’s brother, Louis, whom he claims is “all MAGA.”
Throughout his attacks, Trump also shared images online depicting himself as Jesus, healing the sick, a meme that sparked widespread backlash including from his own supporters.
Meanwhile, the pope has said he has “no fear of the Trump administration” and stressed he does not want to debate the president.
Trump most recently lashed out at the pope over the weekend, after he met with Brandon Johnson, the mayor of the pope’s hometown, Chicago, and another enemy of the president.
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