Poll finds Americans view Pope Leo XIV more favorably than all of these prominent figures

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WASHINGTON - Americans view Pope Leo XIV more favorably than President Donald Trump, Sen. Bernie Sanders, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other prominent figures, according to a new poll. 

The Gallup poll, conducted July 7-July 21, found that Pope Leo XIV has a net favorable rating of 46%, the highest among 14 U.S. and global newsmakers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has a net favorable rating of 18% while Sanders has a rating of 11%.

In comparison, the other figures on the list are rated more negatively rather than positively. New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who’s traveled across the U.S. with Sanders on a “fighting oligarchy” tour, has a net favorable rating of negative 4%.

Former President Joe Biden, Vice President JD Vance and Newsom all have a net favorable rating of negative 11%, while Trump’s rating is negative 16%, according to the poll. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and billionaire Elon Musk have the two lowest net favorable ratings: negative 23% and negative 28% respectively. 

The poll also found that the favorability rating of Trump administration officials has gone down since January. For instance, Musk’s net favorable rating was negative 4% according to a Gallup poll conducted Jan. 21-Jan. 27. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who oversaw the purge of U.S. Agency for International Development programs, had a net favorable rating of 8% in January. Now it’s at negative 16%.

The poll of 1,002 adults has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.