Trump's demand to reopen churches was sparked by slipping poll numbers from evangelicals: report

There seems to be a notable shift in support for President Trump from evangelical Christians, according to a pair of surveys that were recently published. As POLITICO points out, the shift shows "waning confidence in the administration’s coronavirus response among key religious groups, with a staggering decline in the president’s favorability among white evangelicals and white Catholics."

President Trump planned to broaden his support among religious groups, but reports say that the shift is causing significant concern from Republicans.

As a means to shore up that support, Trump demanded that places of worship be allowed to reopen immediately, despite the warnings of health officials who say in-person religious gatherings should still be prohibited as coronavirus continues to spread. Trump even threatened to "override governors who choose to implement stay-at-home orders.

"Following the PRRI survey, which was conducted while Trump was a dominant presence at televised daily briefings by his administration's coronavirus task force, Pew Research Center released new data last week that showed a seven-point increase between April and May in white Catholics who disapprove of Trump’s response to the Covid-19 crisis and a 6-point decline among white evangelicals who previously gave him positive marks," POLITICO reports.

Read the full report over at POLITICO.