Just 26% Approve of His Handling of the Economy; Only 17% Approve of His Cost-of-Living
Policies as 65% Blame Trump Policies for Persistently High Prices
Husneara Choudhury:
President Donald Trump is facing sharply negative public assessments of his handling of the economy and the rising cost of living, according to a new AP-NORC poll released Thursday.
Just 26% of U.S. adults approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, the lowest rating recorded for him on the issue in AP-NORC polling. Even fewer—just 17%—approve of his handling of the cost of living.
The poll also finds that 65% of Americans say Trump’s policies are more responsible for persistently high prices than factors outside his control, putting the issue of household costs at the center of public concern as the November midterm elections approach.
COST OF LIVING EMERGES AS A MAJOR CONCERN
The survey shows widespread dissatisfaction with Trump’s response to the cost of living. Sixty-nine percent of Americans say his handling of the issue has been worse than they expected, including 52% of Republicans.
Concern is also growing over the affordability of basic necessities. About half of U.S. adults say they are extremely or very concerned about being able to afford gasoline in the coming months, up from 39% in July. About half express similarly high concern about being able to afford food.
PARTISAN DIVIDE OVER WHO IS TO BLAME
While a majority of Americans place greater responsibility on Trump’s policies for high prices, Republicans view the issue differently.
Sixty-seven percent of Republicans say factors outside Trump’s control are more responsible for higher prices than his policies.
The findings nevertheless show that dissatisfaction over the cost of living has reached a significant share of Trump’s own party, with about six in 10 Republicans disapproving of his handling of the issue.
TRADE AND IRAN ALSO DRAW LOW APPROVAL
Trump’s economic numbers come alongside low public approval on several other major issues.
About three in 10 Americans approve of his handling of trade negotiations, while 64% say he has gone too far with new tariffs on other countries.
On Iran, 71% disapprove of Trump’s handling of the issue, while 69% say the war has not been worth fighting.
Trump’s approval on immigration stands at 39%, while about half of Americans approve of his handling of border security.
BROADER CONCERNS ABOUT THE COUNTRY
The economic concerns extend beyond individual household finances. About six in 10 Americans say the country is worse off than when Trump began his second term.
Overall, only about three in 10 Americans approve of Trump’s performance as president, while 73% say the country is heading in the wrong direction.
The AP-NORC poll was conducted Sept. 24–28 among 2,140 U.S. adults using NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel. The overall margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.
