Which religious organizations have openly endorsed or criticized Trump?
Executive summary
Major U.S. religious actors have both endorsed and criticized Donald Trump: white evangelical Protestants remain among his strongest supporters (72% approval in a Pew survey), while organized Catholic leadership and a coalition of mainstream Christian leaders have publicly rebuked specific Trump policies, especially on immigration and the administration’s faith-focused initiatives [1] [2] [3]. The Trump White House has actively courted religious conservatives — creating a Faith Office and an Anti‑Christian‑Bias task force and backing an IRS shift allowing pulpit endorsements — provoking organized pushback from other religious groups [4] [5] [6].
1. Who has openly endorsed Trump: the evangelical core
White evangelical Christians are the most visible organized religious constituency backing Trump. Pew Research Center polling found 72% of white evangelicals approved of his job performance in April 2025, and reporting across faith beats documents continued high levels of support from evangelical leaders and surrogates who form a durable part of his political base [1] [7]. The White House has amplified that bond by installing evangelical allies in the Faith Office and celebrating religious policy wins — moves that energize conservative Christian supporters [4] [7].
2. Institutional Catholic tensions: leaders and laity diverge
Catholic institutional leadership has shown public friction with the administration. In November 2025, the U.S. Roman Catholic bishops issued a near‑unanimous rebuke of aggressive deportation campaigns, signaling official criticism even as some high‑profile Catholics serve in or praise the administration [2] [8]. Reporting also shows the White House recruits Catholics for its religious commissions, which has fueled accusations from mainstream Christian leaders that the administration is politicizing faith for partisan ends [8] [3].
3. Organized pushback: mainstream Christian leaders and interfaith groups
A coalition of mainstream Christian leaders and interfaith groups has publicly denounced Trump initiatives such as the “Anti‑Christian Bias Task Force” and the new posture on pulpit endorsements, calling them threats to religious freedom and church impartiality [3] [9]. Interfaith Alliance and other organizations have compiled actions and statements criticizing what they describe as the administration’s weaponization of faith and targeted rhetoric [9] [3].
4. Policy moves that changed the landscape: IRS, Johnson Amendment and the Faith Office
The administration’s decisive policy steps altered longstanding norms. The IRS — via a settlement and guidance — reclassified certain religious communications so pastors can endorse candidates without risking tax‑exempt status; Trump publicly celebrated that shift and the White House established a Faith Office and a Religious Liberty Commission to institutionalize faith policy priorities [6] [10] [4] [8]. Those moves were hailed by supporters as restoring religious speech and condemned by critics as opening the pulpit to partisan campaigning [6] [3].
5. Divisions within evangelicalism and quiet defections
Reporting finds growing fractures inside evangelical ranks: while many institutional and high‑profile evangelicals continue to back Trump, other pastors and congregations are distancing themselves over immigration crackdowns and cultural rhetoric. Some churches are “quietly quitting” MAGA politics, and disputes over sanctuary policies produced public rebukes from denominational bodies like the Southern Baptist Convention [11] [12].
6. Narrative and political utility: why endorsements and criticisms matter
Religious endorsements matter electorally and symbolically: evangelicals provide high turnout and media megaphones that Trump leverages, while public critiques from bishops, interfaith coalitions and progressive clergy frame his policies as morally fraught and can shift public debate about church‑state norms [1] [13] [3]. Both sides use moral language: allies call Trump a defender of persecuted Christians and religious liberty; opponents argue his policies contradict core religious teachings on migrants, hospitality and justice [14] [13].
7. Limits of available reporting and unanswered questions
Available sources document major institutional positions and polling but do not provide a comprehensive list of every religious organization that has endorsed or criticized Trump; detailed, up‑to‑the‑minute roll calls of endorsements or condemnations are not found in the current reporting provided here (not found in current reporting). Also, sources diverge on scale: polling shows continued evangelical strength yet multiple outlets document growing internal dissent — the two findings coexist and both shape the religious landscape [1] [11].
Sources cited above include Pew Research Center polling, national reporting and advocacy trackers that catalog institutional statements and policy actions [1] [6] [2] [3] [4] [9] [12] [11].