August M
Trump is facing growing pressure as the Epstein files and rising inflation weigh on his approval ratings.
US President Donald Trump has finally signed a bill for the release of the Epstein files.
The question of the president’s relationship with the dsisgraced financier has been a long-standing headache for the president, and he has even called it a democratic hoax – even though he promised to release the files, when he ran for for the presidency in 2024.
Now, the files will be released, but has the damage to Trump’s reputation already been done?
Approval plumments
Well, according to Reuters — who conducted a survey of 1,017 American adults — his approval rating has fallen to 38% as of November 17. When Trump began his presidency, it was at 47%, so it’s clear to see that he has definitely gone down in popularity.
Though it’s important to remember that when looking at this result, there could be a lot of factors at play and not just the Epstein files.
One could argue that a lot of people in America are also quite shocked by how extreme ICE are handling immigrants across the US continent.
But still, one could also argue that some Republicans have begun distancing themselves from Trump because of his supposed affiliation with Epstein.
But then there’s still inflation that could also have a say — so let’s look at that.
Inflation in America
In an article written by Reuters, Republican strategist Doug Heye said: ‘It’s all about prices. People are furious when they go out and spend money at the grocery store, and they can’t believe what they are spending”
Another interesting statistic from The Economist shows that in net approval rating by issue, there is one clear standout: from January 27 to November,
Trump has dropped from roughly +5 to around –35 in approval in the inflation/prices category
That’s incredibly interesting, since according to Yahoo Finance, Trump said this in September: ‘We have almost no inflation anymore.’
This clearly shows that Trump distances himself from the reality most Americans face every day when they go out shopping
Well, if you look at the numbers, Americans’ anger about inflation is understandable and supported by the data.
The inflation rate currently stands at around 2.9%, which is the highest it has been since January notes CNN.
MAGA for Trump
What about Trump’s supposed loyal supporters — how is his grip holding on them?
Well, an incident happened when Trump, in an interview with Laura Ingraham, a Fox News host, talked about having 600,000 Chinese citizens come study at American universities to attract foreign workers.
According to NBC News, Trump wants to do it through the H-1B visa program, which is a program MAGA supporters have long loved that he opposed, because MAGA supporters — and maybe other Americans — fear losing their jobs to non-Americans.
Still, if you look at the statistics, it clearly shows strong support from Republicans and those who affiliate themselves with the MAGA movement.
In an NBC News poll done in October, 88% of Republicans still support Trump, and for those in MAGA it’s as high as 96%. Which clearly shows that, though Trump is controversial, he still commands a lot of respect and loyalty from his party.
Conclusion
In the end, it’s hard to say that the Epstein files alone are causing Trump to lose voters — but they’re definitely part of a bigger picture.
His approval rating has dropped from 47% to 38%, and issues like inflation, immigration, and general frustration with the economy all play a major role in shaping how Americans see him right now.
Still, even with all the controversy surrounding him, Trump continues to hold extremely strong support among Republicans and especially within the MAGA movement.
So while his overall reputation may be taking a hit, his core base remains firmly loyal.
