Most Republican voters consider former President Donald Trump to be a person of faith, putting him ahead of other more vocally religious individuals, like his former Vice President Mike Pence, according to a national poll conducted by HarrisX for the Deseret News.
But Republicans are less likely to say Trump is “religious” — pointing to his support for religious people, not his personal religiosity, as their reasoning for saying he is a man of faith.
Registered voters were asked whether they considered a list of political figures to be people of faith, including Trump, President Joe Biden, former Vice President Mike Pence and Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney. Trump was the top choice for Republicans, while Biden was the most common choice for Democrats. Pence topped the list for independents.
Most Republican voters consider former President Donald Trump to be a person of faith, putting him ahead of other more vocally religious individuals, like his former Vice President Mike Pence, according to a national poll conducted by HarrisX for the Deseret News.
Sixty-nine percent of Democrats said Biden is a person of faith; 72% said he was religious.
When voters were asked why they considered Biden to be a person of faith or religious, most pointed to beliefs about his character: he has a strong moral compass (52%); he is honest and trustworthy (48%); and he makes ethical decisions (47%).
In contrast, those who said Trump was a person of faith or religious point to their perception of him as a defender of religious people or policies. Sixty-seven percent said Trump defends people of faith in the U.S.; 60% said he supports policies that focus on families; and 54% said he “cares about people like me.”
The least common reason for saying Trump is a person of faith or religious, expressed by only 26% of respondents, is that he is “actively involved in religious and faith communities.”
They say he’s a person of faith because they want him to be a person of faith.