President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth face broad public disapproval over religion-related messaging, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll released Wednesday, May 6, 2026. The survey found 87 percent of Americans view a social media post depicting Trump as Jesus negatively, including a significant portion of his own voting base.
The data reveals a rare moment of consensus in a polarized political climate, suggesting that the administration’s recent foray into religious iconography has crossed a threshold for a wide swath of the electorate. The pushback centers on an AI-generated image shared by the president on social media that appeared to depict him as Jesus, a move that has triggered criticism from religious leaders and the general public alike.
Public Rejection of AI-Generated Religious Imagery
The Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll indicates that the administration’s attempt to fuse political identity with divine imagery has largely failed. According to the findings, 87 percent of Americans hold a negative view of the social media post featuring an AI-generated image of President Trump as Jesus. This figure represents a striking level of disapproval, extending beyond traditional political divisions.
Analysis of the data shows that the backlash is not limited to political opponents. Reporting from Axios indicates that Trump’s own voters overwhelmingly rejected the post. This internal friction suggests a ceiling for culture-war tactics, indicating that even the most loyal segments of the president’s coalition may find the appropriation of central religious figures unacceptable.
Americans are deeply uncomfortable with recent religion-related statements by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — a striking rebuke in a closely divided country.
Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll
The use of AI to create these images adds a layer of modern controversy to the traditional tension between church and state. By utilizing synthetic media to place himself in a divine context, the president has drawn criticism not only for the theological implications but for the nature of the medium itself.
Diplomatic Friction with Pope Leo XIV
The domestic backlash coincides with escalating tensions between the White House and the Vatican. While the American public expresses discomfort with the president’s religious messaging, the poll finds positive ratings for Pope Leo XIV. The pontiff has emerged as a vocal critic of the current administration, specifically regarding U.S. foreign and domestic policy.
Pope Leo XIV has clashed with the president over U.S. actions involving Iran and immigration. These criticisms have created a visible rift between the administration and the leadership of the Catholic Church. The friction is further compounded by criticism from multiple high-ranking U.S. Catholic clerics, who have joined the pope in questioning the administration’s approach to religion and governance.
The divergence in approval ratings—where the Pope is viewed positively while the president’s religious rhetoric is rejected—suggests that Americans may distinguish between institutional religious authority and the political application of faith. The tension remains high as the administration continues to navigate its relationship with the Holy See, including a planned visit by Marco Rubio to the Pope.
Religious Rhetoric and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
The disapproval is not confined to the president alone. The Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll also highlights a broad rejection
of religion-related messages from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The survey indicates that Americans are deeply uncomfortable with the religious rhetoric employed by the head of the Pentagon.
The integration of religious war messaging into the discourse of the Department of Defense has proven unpopular. This trend suggests that the public is wary of the blurring lines between national security policy and religious conviction. The combined impact of Trump’s social media presence and Hegseth’s rhetoric has created a perception of an administration attempting to leverage faith for political or ideological ends, a strategy that the poll suggests is counterproductive.
Limits of the Culture-War Coalition
The findings from the Post-ABC-Ipsos poll provide a window into the limits of modern tribal politics. For years, the president’s coalition has been bolstered by an alignment with religious conservatives and a shared sense of grievance against secular institutions. However, the rejection of the Jesus post
by Trump’s own supporters suggests that there is a boundary to how far this alignment can be pushed.
The backlash underscores a potential vulnerability in the administration’s strategy. When culture-war rhetoric moves from defending religious freedom to the perceived appropriation of the divine, it risks alienating the very base it intends to energize. The data indicates that for many, the issue is not the presence of religion in politics, but the specific manner in which it is being utilized by the current leadership.
As the administration continues to face criticism from the Vatican and domestic religious leaders, the political cost of this rhetoric remains to be seen. The current polling suggests that the strategy of using high-intensity religious imagery is not resonating with the broader American public, nor is it fully securing the support of the president’s core constituency.
