Trump courted white Catholics – they helped him win the White House again

Former President Donald Trump’s decisive victory in the Electoral College was achieved in part thanks to a strong show of support from white Catholic voters, a demographic his campaign targeted specifically targeted.

NBC News released exit polling The 10-state survey found Mr. Trump easily won the Catholic vote, 56 percent to 41 percent. Among white Catholics, the former president did even better, winning 60 percent of the vote. National exit polls from CNN found almost identical results.

In 2020 CNN reportedBiden received 52 percent of the Catholic vote, although Trump received 56 percent of the white Catholic vote.

According to Fox News Voter AnalysisBlack and Latino Catholic voters made big gains in favor of Ms. Harris, with 58 percent of Latino Catholics and 81 percent of black Catholics voting for the vice president, according to polls taken in the week before Election Day. (Exit survey Fox News’ 2020 report only reported the gap between white Catholics and Catholics overall and showed Mr. Trump leading Mr. Biden by one point.)

(Donald Trump won: 5 Catholic takeaways)

Trump’s fortunes improved from 2020 among Black and Latino voters, especially men. He had a majority of Hispanic men, 54 percent to 44 percent, according to CNN. (Mr. Biden won among Hispanic men in 2020 by a 59 percent to 36 percent margin.)

Catholic Vote, a political advocacy organization that has supported Mr. Trump, regularly covered the former president’s efforts to appeal to Catholic voters in the weeks leading up to the election and helped amplify the idea that Ms. Harris is hostile to Catholicism . The group focused on controversial remarks Ms. Harris spoke about the Knights of Columbus when she was a senator and released an ad that tried to link Ms. Harris to the radical protest group Sisters of Eternal Forbearance.

“Catholics have again proven to be a critical voting bloc that cannot be ignored,” the group said. says the statement on Wednesday. “Catholics are increasingly drawn to the New Right agenda popularized by Trump, which combines pro-family social policies with America-centric economic priorities.”

Meanwhile, Catholic Democrats, an advocacy group that supported Ms. Harris, published on X a call for Catholics to pray for the nation and especially for those who are experiencing “feelings of fear, anxiety, deep disappointment and a range of other complex negative emotions.”

Reaction from Catholic leaders and nonprofit groups was slow to build Wednesday.

Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, former president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, published on Xcalling on Catholics to pray.

“This is a good time for us to pray for our country and reflect on our responsibilities as citizens and believers,” Archbishop Gomez wrote Wednesday morning. “The Acts of the Apostles should be our blueprint for being disciples in our world.”

Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Archbishop of Newark, regularly posts selected scriptures and prayers on X. On Wednesday he published a prayer for migrants.

“Mary, Consolation of Migrants, intercede for families who are fleeing persecution, hunger or epidemics in search of a better life for themselves and their families,” he wrote. “Fill our hearts with compassion and inspire us to give generously to all our sisters and brothers in need.”

US Jesuit Refugee Service published a statement On Wednesday, he called on the new administration to “honor the United States’ historic role as a proud nation of immigrants” and called on the new Congress to pass immigration reform.

“We call on the new administration to continue the U.S.’s long history of global leadership in providing life-saving humanitarian assistance to those in need around the world,” the statement said.

In the days leading up to the election, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops used social media to post prayers and reflections as part of its “Novena for Devoted Citizenship” campaign. Reflection leading up to the election focused on life issues, including abortion. Reflection that day began with the question: “How can I protect the right to life, especially the unborn and those near death?”

The Trump campaign used social media, television interviews and in-person rallies to reach Catholic voters, who played a key role in some swing states. Mr. Trump has posted Catholic images and prayers on social media, including images of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the prayer of St. Michael. Unlike Ms Harris, Mr Trump attended Al Smith’s dinnerorganized by the Archdiocese of New York as an annual fundraiser for various Catholic charities, and then was interviewed by Raymond Arroyo of EWTN, the Catholic television network. Trump’s nominee, Senator J.D. Vance, joined the Catholic Church in 2019.

Mr. Trump campaigned on a promise to crack down on immigration and deport anyone living in the United States illegally. At some of his rallies there were signs reading “Mass Deportations Now” and former President promised that deportations will begin on “day one.”