Donald Trump’s victory in the Nov. 5 presidential election marked the beginning of what he described as a “golden age” for America. In his victory speech from Palm Beach, Florida, Trump promised to deliver a strong, safe, and prosperous future for all Americans. Exit polls revealed significant support for Trump among Catholic voters, with 56 percent backing him nationally, a notable shift compared to previous elections. His policies emphasizing religious liberty and family values, along with his outreach to Catholic communities, played a pivotal role in his electoral success.
Key battleground states with high percentages of Catholic voters, including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, swung in Trump’s favor by wide margins. Analysts, such as CatholicVote’s Brian Burch, noted an emerging trend of Catholic support for Republicans, driven by Trump’s defense of religious freedoms during his first term and campaign. Trump’s selection of Catholic convert J.D. Vance as his running mate and his engagement with Catholic leaders further solidified this support.
Key Highlights
- Trump pledged to usher in a “golden age” for America during his victory speech in Palm Beach, Florida.
- Exit polls showed Trump winning 56% of the Catholic vote nationally, compared to 41% for Kamala Harris.
- Trump secured strong Catholic voter support in Pennsylvania (+13 points), Wisconsin (+16 points), and Michigan (+20 points).
- Trump’s first-term policies emphasized religious liberty, including appointing three Supreme Court justices and supporting conscience protections for professionals.
- During the campaign, Trump launched a “Catholics for Trump” coalition and attended the Al Smith dinner with Catholic leaders.
- CatholicVote’s Brian Burch highlighted a growing trend of Catholic voter alignment with Republicans.
The election of Donald Trump on Nov. 5 marked the beginning of a new golden age for America. In his victory speech on election night in Palm Beach, Florida, President-elect Trump pledged to fight for every citizen, their families and their future.
“I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve,” Trump said. “This will truly be the golden age of America.”
Voters have given Trump an overwhelming mandate to implement common-sense policies that put America First. Across the electorate, Trump made significant gains among key demographics, including among Catholic voters.
As I wrote on Oct. 10: “President Donald J. Trump is making significant headway with Catholics across America. … This momentum of Catholic support coalescing around Trump is particularly important considering the religious demographics of key battleground states.”
Nationally, though Catholics were closely split in the 2020 election, in 2024, Trump won the national Catholic vote by 15 percentage points. According to exit polls by The Washington Post, 56 percent of Catholics voted for Trump, compared to 41 percent for Kamala Harris.
Catholics make up the largest religious denomination in the United States, composed of approximately 52 million people.
Consider that in Pennsylvania, 24 percent of adults are Catholic. The percentage of Catholic adults in Wisconsin and Michigan are 25 percent and 18 percent, respectively. Trump won all three states — and won Catholics by big margins.
According to exit polling by Fox News, Catholic voters favored Trump by a margin of 13 percentage points in Pennsylvania, 16 points in Wisconsin, and 20 points in Michigan.
As Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote, told Fox News Digital: “There is an emerging electoral trend here that Republicans, if they are smart, will latch onto.”
During the campaign, Harris couldn’t hide her anti-Catholic bias from American voters, going as far as to tell students who said, “Christ is King!” that they were at the “wrong rally.”
By contrast, Trump’s commitment to religious liberty was evident to voters across America in his first administration and during the campaign.
In his first term, Trump defended the rights of doctors, nurses and teachers to act in accordance with their conscience. He appointed three Supreme Court justices committed to protecting our God-given right to worship. He signed an executive order defining international religious freedom as a moral and national security imperative and convened a meeting at the United Nations dedicated to ending global religious persecution and defending religious liberty.
During the campaign, Trump nominated Catholic convert J.D. Vance, whose wife was raised Hindu, as his vice president. He launched the Catholics for Trump coalition to reaffirm his commitment to protecting religious freedom and upholding family values. (Harris tried to do the same, but her disingenuous message clearly did not resonate.) He showed his support for Catholic charities by attending the Al Smith dinner alongside church leaders. And in the wake of an assassination attempt this summer, he attributed the bullet’s near miss to Divine Providence.
Catholic voters played a critical role in electing President Donald Trump, sending a clear message about their importance in shaping America’s future.
Ambassador Callista L. Gingrich is president and chief executive officer of Gingrich 360, a multimedia production and consulting company based in Arlington, Virginia. She is a former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. For more commentary from Callista Gingrich, visit Gingrich360.com.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.