President Donald Trump’s approval rating among white evangelical Christians fell notably between January and April 2026, according to new polling, signaling slippage within a core pillar of his electoral coalition.
A new NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll found that 64 percent of white evangelical Christians approve of the job Trump is doing as president in late April, down 5 points from late January.
White evangelicals—27 percent of the electorate in 2024—were central to Trump’s reelection victory. They backed him by a lopsided 82 percent to 17 percent margin, forming one of the most decisive blocs in his winning coalition. Any erosion in this group weakens his political foundation.
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email.
A 10-Point Net Drop in Just Three Months
A new NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll, conducted April 27 through April 30, found Trump’s job approval rating with white evangelical Christians at 64 percent, while 34 percent disapprove, giving him a net approval rating (those who approve minus those who disapprove) of plus 30. That represents a notable decline from earlier in the year.
In a prior NPR/PBS News/Marist survey conducted January 27 through January 30, among 1,462 adults, 69 percent of white evangelicals approved of Trump’s performance, compared to 29 percent who disapproved, for a net rating of plus 40. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.
The result is a 10-point net drop in approval among white evangelicals in just three months.
The April poll surveyed 1,322 adults using a combination of phone, text and online interviews, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
The broader trend extends further back. Data tracking net approval among white evangelicals shows a much steeper fall from early in Trump’s second term.
In February 2025, his net approval with this group stood at plus 51, compared with plus 30 in April 2026—a 21-point decline over that period.
White Evangelicals Remain Supportive of Trump
Even after the drop, white evangelicals remain far more supportive of Trump than the electorate as a whole.
The April Marist poll shows his overall approval rating at 37 percent among all adults, with 59 percent disapproving, leaving him 22 points underwater nationally.
This net approval rating from the latest survey is the lowest recorded for Trump’s second term.
The direction of travel is the critical signal: white evangelicals are not just another demographic group; they are a high-turnout, heavily Republican-aligned bloc that has anchored Trump’s coalition across three election cycles.
Their voting behavior in 2024 underscores that importance. Exit polling shows white born-again and evangelical Christians turned out in large numbers and backed Trump by more than four to one, accounting for more than a quarter of the electorate and providing a decisive margin in the national vote.
Historically, this group has exhibited unusually stable support for Republican candidates, particularly Trump, whose appeal among evangelical voters has consistently exceeded his standing with other religious or demographic blocs.
That is why even a relatively modest drop—from the high 60s into the mid 60s in approval—registers as politically meaningful.
The polling data does not yet indicate a wholesale collapse in support. A clear majority of white evangelical Christians still approve of Trump’s performance, and their backing remains far stronger than among independents or the general public.
However, the downward trend is consistent across multiple data points and timeframes—from early 2025 through early 2026—and aligns with broader declines in Trump’s approval across key voting groups since the start of his second term.
In electoral terms, that raises a familiar but critical question: whether erosion at the margins of a president’s base can translate into reduced turnout, softer enthusiasm, or greater volatility in future elections, namely the midterms.
Response From Trump and the White House
The president has rejected negative interpretations of his polling numbers, telling Newsmax in a recent phone interview: “It is a problem I’m not on the ballot. Everyone says if I was on a ballot, we’d win in a landslide. I have some of the best poll numbers I’ve ever had.”
When approached for comment, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle previously told Newsweek: “The ultimate poll was November 5, 2024, when nearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump to deliver on his popular and commonsense agenda.
“No other president in history has accomplished more for the American people than President Trump, who is working tirelessly to create jobs, cool inflation, increase housing affordability, and more. The president has already made historic progress not only in America but around the world, and this is just the beginning as his agenda continues taking effect.”
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