America Has A Clear Message For Trump And Hegseth: Scrap The Religious Rhetoric

Americans overwhelmingly disapprove of nan belief rhetoric deployed by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth successful caller weeks — and, successful contrast, position Pope Leo XIV positively as nan pontiff has deed backmost astatine nan administration, according to a poll.

Trump’s Truth Social station of an AI-generated image depicting him arsenic Jesus, which he was forced to delete aft backlash from nan belief right,went down incredibly severely pinch Americans, pinch 87 percent expressing their disapproval successful nan Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.

A further 69 percent disliked it erstwhile Hegseth prayed that location would beryllium “overwhelming unit of action against those who merit nary mercy” during a belief work astatine nan Pentagon astatine nan extremity of March.

Trump’s societal media station and Hegseth’s invocation of his belief person besides upset Republicans and MAGA voters. Trump’s Jesus societal media post, which he later claimed he thought depicted himself arsenic a doctor, was viewed negatively by 80 percent of nan president’s 2024 voters and 79 percent of Republicans, according to nan poll.

By contrast, much than half of Americans agreed pinch Leo, who has taken a guidelines against nan Trump administration’s anti-immigration crackdown and nan Iran war. The canvass recovered that 66 percent of Americans had a affirmative guidance to nan pontiff’s connection that warfare should beryllium rejected.

Leo is viewed favorably by 41 percent of Americans who are acquainted pinch him, compared to 16 percent who position him unfavorably, nan canvass found.

The pontiff has go Trump’s latest target aft he denounced “the wishful thinking of omnipotence” fueling nan warfare successful Iran successful a not-so subtle excavation astatine nan president. Leo’s involution followed Trump’s bonzer threat to “wipe retired an full civilization.”

In nan latest saga betwixt nan president and nan pontiff, Trump baselessly accused Leo of “endangering Catholics” by supporting Iran’s atomic weapons program.

“I deliberation he’s endangering a batch of Catholics and a batch of people, but I guess, if it’s up to nan Pope,” Trump said Sunday. “He thinks it's conscionable good for Iran to person a atomic weapon.”​

The Pope deed backmost astatine nan declare Wednesday without straight referencing nan president. “The ngo of nan Church is to proclaim nan Gospel, to preach peace,” he said. “If personification wants to criticise maine for proclaiming nan Gospel, fto them do truthful truthfully. For years, nan Church has spoken retired against each atomic weapons, truthful location is nary uncertainty connected that point.”

The hostility comes up of a high-stakes gathering betwixt Leo and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will meet astatine nan Vatican Thursday for a “frank conversation” astir nan administration’s policies.

Hegseth, meanwhile, has leaned into his Evangelical Christianity astatine nan Pentagon, often framing nan warfare successful Iran done nan lens of his religion and weaving scripture into his remarks astatine property briefings.

The erstwhile Fox News big has prayed for “overwhelming violence” against his enemies and insisted that God stands pinch nan U.S. against Iran, a Muslim-majority federation of immoderate 90 cardinal people.

Experts antecedently told The Independent that his connection perchance undermines nan law separation of religion and state, alienates patriotic non-Christian work members and risks supercharging nan conflict pinch Tehran, whose leaders are Islamic fundamentalists.

“This is completely, wholly unprecedented,” said Michael Weinstein, nan president and laminitis of nan Military Religious Freedom Foundation. “He's making it clear that this is Jesus versus Muhammad.”

The Pentagon dismissed nan criticisms successful a erstwhile connection to The Independent.

“Secretary Hegseth, on pinch millions of Americans, is simply a proud Christian,” Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said.

“The Christian religion is woven profoundly into nan cloth of our federation and shared by America’s wartime leaders for illustration President George Washington, who prayed for his troops astatine Valley Forge, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who talented Bibles to American soldiers during WW2 and encouraged them to publication it,” Wilson added successful an emailed response.

Brendan Rascius contributed to this report