Evangelical Support for Donald Trump Shows Signs of Erosion

White evangelical Christians, who have historically delivered 75-85 % margins for Donald Trump, are now showing measurable wavering. A Pew Research poll conducted in February—before the Iran war began—found that 69 % of white evangelicals approved of Trump’s job performance, but only 58 % supported most or all of his plans, down from 66 % in early 2025. Concurrently, a Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) survey reported a 14 % drop in Hispanic Protestant support for Trump between 2024 and the present.

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Since his 2016 campaign, Trump cultivated evangelical favor by promising to “restore Christianity to America” and delivering on high-profile issues: appointing three conservative Supreme Court justices who overturned *Roe v. Wade*, and issuing an order barring transgender individuals from using “X” on passports. These victories cemented a perception among many believers that Trump was a “saviour” “anointed by God.”

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However, personal experiences and broader political developments have prompted reassessment. The release of three million Jeffrey Epstein files, the President’s handling of immigration raids, and the economic fallout from the Iran war have intensified scrutiny within evangelical circles.

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• Rihanna Teixeira, a former Trump voter raised in an Arizona evangelical home, now describes the evangelical church as “a cult” after witnessing the impact of Trump’s immigration policies on DACA students.

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• Reverend Dr. Jared Stacy, who voted for Trump in 2016, calls his current stance “post-evangelical” after a decade of “unlearning” while studying theology in Aberdeen.

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• Reverend Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president of the Interfaith Alliance, warns that alignment with Trump’s agenda “is a one-way street” that excludes caring for immigrants.

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• Karen Prior, Christian author and literary scholar, argues that evangelical support has been “rooted in large part in pragmatism and transactionalism.”

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• Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez, historian at Calvin University, notes that former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s shock over the Epstein files sparked moral outrage among white evangelicals.

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• Pew Research (February, pre-Iran war): 69 % approve of Trump’s job performance; 58 % support most or all of his plans (down from 66 % early 2025).

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• PRRI Survey: Hispanic Protestant support fell by 14 % between 2024 and today.

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• American Research Group: Only 30 % approve of Trump’s overall performance, placing him below President Joe Biden’s lowest approval rating (36 %).

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Analysts cite the “devil’s bargain” framing: evangelicals trade doctrinal purity for policy gains on abortion and gender issues. The Pew poll’s downward trend suggests that pragmatic calculations are being re-evaluated as Trump’s personal conduct and policy inconsistencies become more visible. The ARG survey reflects broader public fatigue with the President’s handling of the economy and foreign conflicts.

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Critics emphasize the inconsistency between Trump’s rhetoric and Christian values. Prior highlights a century-long pattern of transactionalism, while Raushenbush stresses that true Christian concern for immigrants conflicts with Trump’s agenda. Du Mez observes that, despite occasional dips (e.g., after the January 6 insurrection), evangelical support has historically rebounded, yet current data indicate a “large movable middle” questioning the alliance.

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• “I wish I had a logical answer as to why I voted for him, but the truth is that the evangelical church is a cult,” — Rihanna Teixeira, marketing manager

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• “Reverend Dr Jared Stacy, who was raised in a fundamentalist Baptist church, voted for Trump in 2016 and then changed his mind after moving to New Orleans Karen Prior, a Christian author and literary scholar who has criticised her fellow evangelicals’ support of Trump, said: “The support among white evangelicals for Trump is rooted in large part in pragmatism and transactionalism, which has been a feature of American evangelicalism for a century or more.” — Karen Prior, Christian author and literary scholar

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• “If you are in lockstep with this President and his political agenda then your religion is fine. If your religion inspires you to be actively caring for immigrants, you are no longer part of what he means by ‘his’ religious people. When they are no longer in lockstep with his politics they are no longer worthy of protection.” — Reverend Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president of the Interfaith Alliance

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• “I saw the biggest shift with the Epstein files. He got them worked up about ‘saving the children’ and promised to release them, only to not only not release them, but gaslight the entire nation into believing nothing was in them and that it wasn’t a big deal.” — Rihanna Teixeira

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• “Marjorie Taylor Greene appeared to have been a true believer in terms of Trump and ideas of a deep state, she has dabbled in conspiracy theories, QAnon … [yet] she appears to have been authentically shocked by Trump’ s unwillingness to release all the Epstein files.” — Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez, historian

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The Pew poll (February) and the ARG survey present different baselines: Pew focuses on evangelical-specific approval, while ARG measures overall presidential approval at 30 %. Neither source provides longitudinal data on how the Iran war’s economic impact will further affect evangelical attitudes, leaving future trends uncertain.

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