Donald Trump Economic Approval: Trouble ahead of midterm elections? Americans are turning against Donald Trump’s handling of economy, prices
Americans are increasingly unhappy with President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy and rising prices, with a new poll showing a sharp drop in his economic approval and a majority blaming his policies for persistently high costs.Only 17% of US adults approve of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, while just 26% approve of his handling of the economy, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll.The economic approval figure is a new low and is down 14 percentage points from March 2025, shortly after Trump began his second term.The poll also found that 65% of Americans blame Trump’s policies more than factors outside his control for continued high prices.The findings come weeks before the midterm elections, with Republicans seeking to retain control of Congress and Trump campaigning at rallies across the country.
Rising costs weigh on Trump’s economic record
Americans have become increasingly concerned about paying for essentials such as food and petrol. Around half of US adults said they were “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to fill their petrol tanks, up from 39% in July. A similar share expressed high concern about affording food.“I was hoping it would be better or different, but it’s not really good,” Robert Gault, 66, a retired factory worker from Pennsylvania who describes himself as a Republican, told news agency AP.“Our president, I thought, was going to help the country, and so far he has not really seemed to have done that with the economy or in general. He’s not really done what I was hoping he would,” Gault said. “He said, ‘Make America Great Again.’ And I have not seen him do that.”Pedro Sanchez, 52, a Trump voter who works in law enforcement in California, said rising fuel costs had reduced his disposable income.“Prices are ‘extremely exorbitant. Just the cost of everything is going up as a result of fuel,” Sanchez said, according to AP. “I used to have a lot more disposable income. I don’t have that any more. It’s gotten eaten up because of all these increases in the cost of everything.”About seven in 10 Americans said Trump’s handling of the cost of living had been “worse than expected”. Around six in 10 Republicans also disapproved of his performance on the issue, up from about half in April.Bethany Lnenicka, 41, a small-farm operator from Iowa and a political independent who typically votes Republican, said she had expected Trump’s second term to resemble his first.“I just do not feel like it has gotten a lot better,” she said.Kristen Slaven, 41, a Mississippi mental health therapist who typically votes Republican, also said the country had not moved in the right direction.“It definitely doesn’t feel like we have trended in the right direction,” Slaven said. “Obviously wars don’t help. When they’re necessary, I understand. But our focus on renaming bodies of water and pieces of land, that’s just stupid to me when people can’t feed their family.”
Tariffs, Iran war add to economic concerns
Trump’s economic difficulties extend to his trade policy. Only about three in 10 Americans approve of his handling of trade negotiations with other countries, down from about four in 10 in March.Meanwhile, 64% said Trump had “gone too far” with new tariffs, compared with 58% in January.Americans also remain broadly unhappy with the war with Iran. About 69% said the war had not been worth fighting, up from 64% in July, while only 28% approved of Trump’s handling of Iran.Despite the wider frustration, Republicans remain more likely than the broader public to attribute high prices to factors outside Trump’s control. About 67% of Republicans said external factors were more responsible for high prices.Fred Naumann, 51, a Republican and longtime Trump supporter from Wisconsin, said inflation was difficult to address. He supports tariffs and the war with Iran, according to AP.Overall, only about three in 10 Americans approve of Trump’s performance as president, while roughly six in 10 say the country is “much” or “somewhat” worse off than when he began his second term.Border security remains one area where Trump retains relatively stronger support, with about half approving of his performance.
Trump faces more economic blame than Biden
Trump’s 26% economic approval rating is comparable with former President Joe Biden’s 28% rating in June 2022, when inflation had reached record levels during the Covid-19 pandemic.However, Americans were less likely to blame Biden’s policies for high prices before the 2022 midterm elections. In October that year, 44% said Biden’s policies were responsible for high prices, while 55% blamed factors outside his control.The comparison has also featured in views from Trump voters. Sanchez said Trump’s tariffs and the Iran war had directly affected the economy, while he viewed much of the economic disruption under Biden as stemming from the pandemic.“I think he has a lot to do with it. This war in Iran, the tariffs that he’s placing on other countries, obviously are affecting us,” Sanchez said. “Those two things are things he’s been directly involved in that directly affect the economy.”Separately, a Wall Street Journal poll cited by The Hill found Trump’s overall approval at 37%, the lowest for a president shortly before a midterm election in the Journal’s polling going back to George HW Bush.60% of respondents in that poll said Trump’s economic policies had worsened the economy, while 25% said they had improved it.The Journal poll, conducted from September 16 to 21 among 1,500 registered voters, had a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.
