Evangelical leaders warn Trump’s refugee stance could hurt 2026 turnout

In one outlet's column, Tim Moore lauds Donald Trump for his hard-line stance on transgender rights, the overturn of Roe v. Wade and a commission on anti-Christian bias, but he highlights a glaring contradiction in the former president’s record on Christian refugees. According to a report from Open Doors US, the United States admitted zero Christian refugees in 2026 under Trump, compared with 29,478 under Joe Biden from the same 50-country watch list.

Nations such as Afghanistan, Burma, Iran and the Democratic Republic of Congo are among those flagged, with roughly 388 million people at risk of faith-based persecution. Moore recalls Trump’s pledge at the National Prayer Breakfast that the U.S. would welcome persecuted Christians, yet recent policies have left them excluded. He cautions that evangelical voters, who currently back Trump at 52 percent, may stay home in the 2026 midterms, especially as a Southern Baptist Convention Lifeway Research poll shows most pastors view refugee acceptance as a moral duty.