Evangelical Christians’ view of Trump remains positive overall, but some concerns remain

Evangelical Christians largely remain supportive of former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election as they did during the last two presidential election cycles, despite concerns regarding his ambivalent abortion stance that it is a "states rights" issue.

The religious group that aided Trump in his 2016 presidential election victory is still supporting him this cycle, especially when the alternative is President Joe Biden. However, there is disagreement among evangelical Christians over the importance of regulating abortion, which is an issue upon which Trump is more moderate.

According to a March Pew Research Center poll, white evangelical Protestants were the religious group with the most positive view of Trump, as 67% viewed him favorably, including 30% who said “very favorably.”

In a January opinion piece for Fox News, Hugh Hewitt, syndicated radio show host and law professor at Chapman University, explained that evangelical Christians are for Trump because of his support for religious freedom, his stance with parents against the progressive education system, and because they believe he’s being treated unjustly by the same political elites that view them unfavorably.

“Folks notice that the effort to ‘get Trump’ got underway a long time ago —2015– and will seemingly never end,” Hewitt wrote. “You don’t have to be an ‘evangelical’ to have a sense of justice and fair play, but if you have got one, you look at this blizzard of legal gambits and conclude: This may not be right, and it certainly is unusual.”

This sentiment was echoed by Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters (R), Wallbuilders Founder David Barton, and Steve Deace, host of BlazeTV’s “The Steve Deace Show,” in a Washington Times opinion article on Monday.

“As conservative evangelicals, we stand at a critical juncture in our nation’s history, confronted by an aggressive push from secular, ‘woke’ ideologies championed by President Biden and his administration. This battle is not just cultural; it’s a fundamental struggle for the soul of America, deeply rooted in spiritual warfare,” the authors wrote.

The writers argued that “Trump’s track record of appointing strong, conservative judicial candidates underscores his alignment with evangelical values.

“His vision to ‘make America great again’ is not just a political slogan but a call to restore America’s Christian heritage since its greatness came from the Christian faith that inspired her,” they continued. “He will end diversity, equity and inclusion policies. He will make sure that we put America first. He will end atheism as a state-run religion. He will protect those who still believe in faith, family and freedom. For evangelicals, his administration stands as the only viable option for those of us who value religious freedom and the sanctity of life.”

Polls of evangelical Christians have also shown the group’s consistent support of Trump. In 2020, about 8 in 10 white evangelical Christians supported Trump, according to AP VoteCast. According to Pew Research Center, 77% of white evangelical Protestants voted for Trump in 2016. The religious group made up 20% of voters that year, the poll also noted.

However, not all evangelical Christians are pleased with Trump, particularly over what they consider to be his more moderate view of abortion.

In April, Allie Beth Stuckey, host of the BlazeTV podcast “Relatable,” wrote in a post on the social media platform X, “Pro-life evangelicals make a huge voting block, yet we’ve got exactly 0 presidential candidates vying for our vote. RFK picked a far-left social justice activist, and Donald Trump’s out here reminding those to the left of us that he’s a squish on abortion.”

While some conservatives have suggested national abortion bans, Trump said in April that the abortion question should be answered by the states, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 due to his judicial appointments.

“The states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both,” Trump said regarding abortion. “And whatever they decide must be the law of the land. Now, it’s up to the states to do the right thing.”

Stuckey referenced Trump’s stance in her post on X, writing, “Trump’s statement was a signal to the left that threw truly pro-life Christians under the bus. The cheering of IVF, support of nonsensical abortion exceptions, and his ‘will of the people’ repetition are all ways to convey the message, ‘See? I’m not like those radicals to the right of me! I’m moderate! Sane! Compassionate! Pro-democracy!’ He’s been successfully empathy-shamed by the left and still thinks somehow that he’s going to convince some of them to vote for him. 

“It is what it is. Trump is currently the most pro-life candidate of the bunch. It’s just downright sad,” she added.

The Republican National Committee adopted Trump's 2024 Republican Party election platform earlier this month, which dropped the GOP's long-held plank pushing for a federal right-to-life law because the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that abortion was a state's right issue.

"We will oppose Late Term Abortion, while supporting mothers and policies that advance Prenatal Care, access to Birth Control, and IVF (fertility treatments)," the platform reads.

Despite this, some evangelical Christians are still excited about supporting Trump.

Jesse Hughes, host of the "Jesse Hughes Show" and former chairman of the College Republicans at Liberty University, told Just the News on Wednesday, “So there is a bit of a split in the evangelical world right now concerning Trump. I know of some people who are essentially holding their votes hostage from Trump unless he changes his tune on abortion and starts supporting more strict pro-life policies. This, however, seems to be a minority, a large minority, but a minority nonetheless.

“Most evangelicals I know, including myself, have a positive view of voting for Trump and supporting him in November. The common view is that abortion is extremely important, but we're not going to be able to ban abortion in this country if we don't have a country at all,” Hughes said. 

“Issues like immigration are very pressing right now, and it is Trump's policies that we believe will help preserve the nation long enough for us to be able to make long-term change on abortion. Additionally, many view a Trump presidency as much more friendly towards evangelicals and give us more room to breathe than a second Biden term would. Ultimately, while Trump has seemed to waver on abortion, Biden's policy positions are in direct contradiction to all that evangelicals stand for,” he added.