Pope beats president on Iran support

A recent Economist/YouGov poll finds Pope Leo XIV enjoys substantially higher net favorability (+32) than President Trump (-16) and that 48% of Americans approve the pope’s statements urging diplomacy on Iran while only 28% side with Trump and Vance. The gap is sharply partisan — Democrats and most Independents overwhelmingly side with the pope, while Republicans (especially MAGA) back the president — and an AI image of Trump drew strong dislike across groups. — Religious authorities can undercut or reframe presidential foreign‑policy legitimacy, constraining leaders and shifting public windows for war or diplomacy.