One hundred days into his term of office, Donald Trump continues to do well in the opinion of white evangelical Protestants, according to a report from the Pew Research Center.
Jerry Falwell Jr, President of Liberty University, went so far as to call Trump a “dream president” in an interview with Fox News at the hundred-day mark.
When asked why evangelicals rated the president’s performance so high, Falwell first pointed to Trump’s Supreme Court appointment and attacks on ISIS, but then pivoted to Trump’s domestic campaign promises.
” … evangelicals didn’t just vote on social issues this time, because the Republican establishment had lied to them over decades about those issues, and so instead, they went a different direction,” Falwell said. “They were concerned about the borders, about bringing jobs back. I think they’re just as thrilled about all those things — going after sanctuary cities, all those things.”
When asked about negatives, Falwell blasted “moderate Republicans who … seem to be obstructing Donald Trump’s agenda.”
Pew Research last week reported a 75% approval rating for the job the president is doing among white evangelical Protestants; nearly twice the approval rating he enjoys among the broader general public.
Trump’s support from evangelicals is strongest among those who attend church regularly. Eight-in-ten white evangelical Protestants who attend church at least once a month approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president, including 67% who strongly approve of his job performance. White evangelical Protestants who attend church more sporadically approve of Trump’s job performance at a nearly comparable rate (71%), but they are significantly less likely than churchgoing evangelicals to strongly approve (54%).
Among White mainline Protestants, Trump’s approval rating hovered around 50%. For black Protestants, it dropped to 12%.
Find more on the Pew Research Center data here; more on Jerry Falwell Jr’s interview here.
Featured image via Jerry Falwell Jr on Twitter