“Around seven in 10 white evangelicals rate the ethics of top Trump administration officials as good (35%) or excellent (34%),” according to the Pew report. “By contrast, among the public overall, most (62%) rate the ethics of the Trump administration as only fair or poor.”
White Catholics (54%) said they approved of Trump’s actions on DEI, as did 49% of white Protestants who are not evangelical. Majorities of those groups also approved of cuts to federal agencies, but they were split over tariffs.
By contrast, most Black Protestants indicated they disapprove of Trump’s actions on DEI programs (80%), cuts to federal agencies (84%) and Trump’s tariffs (82%). More than two-thirds of Hispanic Catholics and nones also disapprove of the Trump administration’s handling of those topics, according to the report.
White evangelicals and other white Christians played a key role in Trump’s return to the White House, especially in swing states such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and white evangelicals have long been among the president’s strongest supporters.
Overall, 59% of white Christians approve of Trump’s job performance, while 40% disapprove, according to additional analysis from Pew. By contrast, most Black Christians (83%) and Hispanic Christians (66%) disapprove.
And more than half (55%) of white Christians said Trump administration leaders have either excellent or good ethics, while only 10% of Black Christians, 28% of Hispanic Christians and 23% of the nones agreed.
“Majorities of White evangelicals approve of the Trump administration’s actions on DEI, federal cuts and tariffs” (Graphic courtesy Pew Research Center)
White Christians overall are more likely to approve of Trump’s actions on DEI (62%), cuts to federal agencies (62%), and tariffs (56%) than other faith groups in the Pew report.
Despite their approval rate staying strong, Trump’s positive reviews among white evangelicals dropped from 78% in February to 72% in April, according to the report. Among Black Protestants, his approval dropped from 18% to 10%. And among white Catholics, Trump’s approval dropped from 59% in February to 51% in April, while among the nones, his approval dropped from 33% to 26%.
“Both among the U.S. public as a whole and among major religious groups, Trump’s current approval ratings are on par with what they were around the same time in his first term (April 2017),” according to Pew.
Rotolo said Trump’s approval rating among white evangelicals remained high during his first term, staying at about 70% or above. The only exception came in January 2021, when Trump’s approval among white evangelicals dropped to 58%.
“Roughly three-quarters of white evangelicals approved of how Trump is handling his job as president at various points across his presidency,” he said. “It’s probably likely to stay about where it is unless something major happens.”
This article originally appeared here.
