Evangelical support for Trump holds steady

Evangelical support in the United States remains steady for President Trump following the conclusion of his first 100 days in office, according to new research.

White evangelicals and Catholics remain among Trump's strongest supporters, amidst a wider mood of disapproval amongst the general population.

Trump’s second arrival in the White House has featured sweeping changes to government policy which have triggered mixed reactions; his tough stance on gender and trans ideology and affirmation of America’s Christian traditions have been met with widespread praise by many believers, while other policies such as global tariffs, immigration and his dealings with the Ukraine crisis have garnered more mixed reactions.

Following his first 100 days in office, new research by Pew Research Centre has found that while only 40% of the general American population approve of Trump’s presidency so far, white evangelical support, crucial to his election victory last year, has remained steady at 72%. White Protestants and white Catholics are holding at 51%.

However, the figures do not make for such good reading for the Trump administration when it comes to other groups, with 85% of black Protestants and 73% of Hispanic Catholics disapproving of the job he has done so far.

While the Pew Research Centre pointed to a slight drop in approval ratings over the last couple of months, these religious voting patterns still “largely reflect partisan differences”, as white Protestants and Catholics tend to vote Republican, while Black and Hispanic Protestants and Catholics tend to vote Democrat.

“Both among the US 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),” Pew reported.