White evangelical support for Trump has increased amid Stormy Daniels reports

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(Image credit: Barry Williams/Getty Images)

White evangelicals have held steadfast in their support for President Trump, recent Pew Research Center data showed, despite allegations that the president once engaged in an extramarital affair with an adult film star. Not only that, but their approval of his performance has only increased in recent months, Pew found.

Survey data from March found that just 39 percent of Americans approve of Trump's performance overall, but 78 percent of white evangelicals gave their support. That number is even higher than in January, when 72 percent of white evangelicals approved of Trump. That month, The Wall Street Journal reported that adult film actress Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, had an affair with the president while he was married to first lady Melania Trump.

Most other demographic groups disapproved of Trump's performance in March; Republicans and white evangelical protestants are the only two groups who approved of the president by more than 50 percent. Fifty percent of white voters overall approved. Meanwhile, just 8 percent of Democrats, 9 percent of black voters, and 9 percent of black mainline protestants approved.

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In October, 67 percent of white evangelical protestants approved of Trump's performance. Data from a 2014 Pew Research Center study found that more than one-third of registered voters described themselves as "born-again or evangelical" Christians.

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Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.