Nicolai Haugsted
Trump suffers brutal new poll as just 17 percent approve of his handling of living costs.
Donald Trump returned to the White House promising an economic revival and relief for Americans battered by years of expensive groceries, housing and fuel.
Voters are increasingly unhappy with what they have received instead.
Only 17 percent of U.S. adults now approve of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, according to The Independent via. a new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. Approval of his handling of the wider economy stands at just 26 percent.
Perhaps more troubling for the president, Americans are not simply unhappy about prices.
Nearly two-thirds — 65 percent — say Trump’s policies are primarily responsible for higher-than-usual prices, rather than factors outside his control.
Trump voters are feeling the squeeze too
Frustration has reached parts of the coalition that helped return Trump to office.
Robert Gault, a 66-year-old retired factory worker from Pennsylvania who identifies as a Republican, told the AP that his expectations have not been met.
“I was hoping it would be better or different, but it’s not really good,” Gault said.
“He said, ‘Make America Great Again.’ And I have not seen him do that.”
Nearly seven in 10 Americans say Trump’s handling of living costs has been worse than they expected, including 52 percent of Republicans.
Republican voters remain considerably more likely to give Trump the benefit of the doubt over the causes of higher prices. Sixty-seven percent say factors beyond his control are primarily responsible.
Still, dissatisfaction with his handling of household expenses has spread substantially inside his own party.
Everyday expenses are biting
Fuel has become a particularly visible source of anxiety.
Roughly half of Americans now say they are extremely or very concerned about being able to afford gasoline, up from 39 percent in July, according to the AP-NORC findings. Food costs are producing similarly high levels of concern.
Pedro Sanchez, a 52-year-old California law-enforcement worker who voted for Trump, told the AP that rising fuel costs have changed his personal finances.
“Just the cost of everything is going up as a result of fuel,” Sanchez said.
“I used to have a lot more disposable income. I don’t have that any more.”
Sanchez specifically pointed toward Trump’s tariffs and the war with Iran when explaining his disappointment.
“I think he has a lot to do with it,” Sanchez said. “I think with Biden, a lot of the stuff was outside of his control.”
Trump’s economic advantage has disappeared
Economic approval has moved sharply against Trump since the beginning of his second term.
AP-NORC’s polling trend shows 26 percent currently approve of his economic management, compared with 40 percent near the beginning of his second term. Seventy-three percent now disapprove.
Those numbers arrive at a particularly inconvenient moment for Republicans.
November’s midterm elections are approaching, and Trump has begun an intensive campaign push intended to help GOP candidates preserve congressional power. His opening campaign stops include Texas and Oklahoma as Republicans attempt to energize their voters despite widespread economic dissatisfaction.
Trump has repeatedly argued that his economic policies are producing extraordinary results.
Voters, at least according to the latest AP-NORC numbers, are far less enthusiastic about the economy they encounter when paying their own bills.
Iran and tariffs add another headache
Economic frustration is accompanied by dissatisfaction with two major Trump policies closely connected to the current political debate over prices.
Sixty-four percent of Americans believe Trump has gone too far in imposing new tariffs, while roughly three in 10 approve of his handling of international trade.
Iran produces even worse numbers.
Sixty-nine percent say the war with Iran has not been worth fighting, while 71 percent disapprove of Trump’s handling of the country.
Trump’s overall job approval has meanwhile fallen to 31 percent in AP-NORC’s polling trend, with 69 percent disapproving. Immigration remains one of his stronger issues at 39 percent approval, illustrating just how far his economic numbers have fallen below some other areas of his presidency.
Trump’s current economic approval is roughly comparable to the depths reached by Joe Biden during the inflation crisis of his presidency.
Public attribution of blame, however, looks markedly different.
AP-NORC found in October 2022 that 44 percent of Americans considered Biden’s policies primarily responsible for unusually high prices. Trump now receives that blame from 65 percent.
