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Will JVL Survive These Focus Groups of Catholic Voters? | The Focus Group

2026-04-18 News & Politics
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Description

Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV are probably the two most prominent Americans in the world right now, and they're fighting. So we asked American Catholics (including those who voted for Trump) what they thought of their feud, and about Trump's Truth Social Post depicting himself as Jesus. JVL returns to the show with some choice words for some of his fellow Catholics, and discusses the role the Catholic Church has played in American politics more broadly. Check out 'The Context', from the Charles F. Kettering Foundation: https://kettering.org/thecontext/ Get tickets to The Bulwark's May live shows in San Diego and Los Angeles! https://thebulwark.com/events Become a Bulwark Youtube Plus Member here - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG4Hp1KbGw4e02N7FpPXDgQ/join Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:07:18 Catholics and politics 00:14:26 Faith and public life 00:24:28 Pope Leo and Trump 00:32:04 JD Vance and Catholic identity 00:44:37 Trump vs. the Pope 00:57:02 The Jesus image 01:03:31 Wrap Up

Top Comments (10)

@TravisHRF16CC 2026-04-18

Choosing Donny over Leo when scripture is discussed kinda means you’ve abandoned your Catholicism.

193 5 replies
@ChuckCooper 2026-04-18

I never comment on these posts, but Lord have mercy. The people that are choosing Donald Trump over the pope are blowing my mind.

259 6 replies
@TheDDDAISY 2026-04-18

What nobody seems to realize is that before Pope Leo was pope, before he became a priest, and really even before he became a Catholic, he became a US citizen upon birth. As such, he every right to criticize dear leader.

110 2 replies
@TheR3dplague 2026-04-19

JVL already nailed it Republican voting Catholics use their religion as a badge to flash, not an ideology to live by.

47 1 replies
@diannasgardenmenagerie967 2026-04-19

“He does what he wants and that’s what we like about him” is the most dangerous thing I have heard out of maga yet. They want to be able to take what they want, PERIOD FULL STOP!!!

70 3 replies
@maccaberry1041 2026-04-18

The cult of personality is so strong they will speak against their Pope before saying a word against Trump. This, more than anything I've seen since he descended the golden escalator, proves it's a cult, not a political movement.

458 33 replies
@pamelaponi3529 2026-04-18

"we like him because he does what he wants" is not something that should ever be said about a president if you know the Constitution.

315 14 replies
@cindy_kbt 2026-04-18

OMG! The delusion to think that Trump has ever told the truth.

550 22 replies
@myrnaburgoyne2082 2026-04-18

Canadian here … THIS (the focus group responses) is exactly why the world thinks Americans have lost their ever-lovin’ minds.

17 1 replies
@joannethomson4568 2026-04-19

Its so frustrating that they hear what the pope says and decide that its about us.

3

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