University of Kwazulu-Natal

Six Polls That Show Donald Trump Is In Deep Economic Trouble

Bonisiwe Shabane
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six polls that show donald trump is in deep economic trouble

Concerns over rising costs for essentials, such as groceries and healthcare, have intensified, with many voters feeling that economic policies have negatively impacted their finances, particularly amid high inflation. Public approval of Trump’s government management has waned due to recent shutdowns, affecting support even among some Republicans. His approval ratings are historically low for a president at this stage in their second term, facing challenges as midterm elections loom. And now Newsweek reports that six new polls indicate that his MAGA following is slowing down. According to a December 2025 AP-NORC survey, just 31% of Americans are in favor of Trump's economic handling, down from 40% in March. This is his lowest approval rating, especially among Republicans, where support fell from 78% to 69%.

According to the survey, two-thirds of Americans consider the economy to be "poor," and nearly half had changed their holiday expenditures because of financial constraints. In contrast, a second report by Fox News showcased that 76% of respondents had an unfavorable opinion of the economy under Trump and blamed him more than Biden for economic problems. Whereas NBC News report indicated that people are mostly concerned about economic issues, particularly inflation, with Trump's overall popularity rating at 42%. Trump's approval has somewhat improved to 41%, according to Reuters/Ipsos, but The Economist's tracker shows a net negative approval of -16%, with inflation being a critical concern. According to a sixth report by Harvard CAPS/Harris, 59% of voters prioritize affordability, and only 40% of voters support inflation. However, the White House continues to paint an optimistic picture.

It recently stated that Trump had "inherited the worst inflation crisis in a generation from Joe Biden’s incompetence" and praised the Trump administration "rapidly cooled inflation to a 2.5 percent annualized rate." White House spokesman Kush Desai told Newsweek that President Trump and his administration acknowledge the ongoing effects of Joe Biden's economic policies. Their actions aim to recover from the "Biden economic disaster" through initiatives like increasing domestic energy production and implementing historic drug pricing agreements. Despite challenges, the Trump administration is committed to restoring the economic growth experienced during his first term. Desai emphasized that President Trump inherited high inflation from Biden but has succeeded in reducing it to a "2.5 percent annualized rate," with expectations for continued decline in inflation and an increase in real... "President Trump inherited the worst inflation crisis in a generation from Joe Biden’s incompetence, and his Administration has rapidly cooled inflation to a 2.5 percent annualized rate.

Americans can count on inflation continuing to fall and real wages continuing to rise," Desai said. Trump has repeatedly blamed the previous Democratic government for the 'affordability mess'. "When will I get credit for having created, with No Inflation, perhaps the Greatest Economy in the History of our Country?…When will Polls reflect the Greatness of America at this point in time, and... Economic concerns continue to be a top priority for Americans. In a new PBS News/NPR/Marist poll, 57% of respondents say they disapprove of the job President Trump is doing on the economy and just 36% think he’s doing a good job. It’s the lowest approval rating he’s seen on the issue in either of his terms in office.

Amna Nawaz discussed more insights from the poll with NPR's Domenico Montanaro. Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. President Trump is set to address the nation tonight to tout the work of his administration and look ahead to his priorities in the new year. The speech comes as economic concerns continue to be a top priority for Americans. In a new PBS News/NPR/Marist poll, 57 percent of respondents say they disapprove of the job the president is doing on the economy; 36 percent think he's doing a good job.

It's the lowest approval rating he's seen on the issue in either of his terms in office. A new poll signals a code-red warning for President Donald Trump on economic misery among voters ahead of next year’s crucial midterm elections. More than 61 percent of people say the president is making prices and inflation sound far more rosy than they actually are, according to the results of a new YouGov/CBS poll, with a further... At 47 percent, a similar number say Trump is more responsible for the woeful state of U.S. markets than his predecessor President Joe Biden, with the MAGA leader’s overall approval on the economy barely mustering 37 percent. By almost all metrics, Trump’s much-promised windfall for the American people has failed to materialize in his first 11 months back at the White House.

GDP growth has almost halved from 2.8 percent last year to 1.6 percent, which many experts attribute to the president’s ongoing trade war against much of the rest of the planet. President Trump is pictured in the Oval Office on Monday. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images hide caption During President Trump's first term, the economy was a relative strength of his. During the 2024 presidential campaign, his promises to lower prices in a country grappling with post-COVID inflation propelled him back into office. But toward the end of his first year in office this term, just 36% of Americans approve of his handling of the economy, according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll.

It's his worst mark in the six years that Marist has been asking the question. The only time in that span that Americans had a similarly negative view of a president's handling of the economy in the poll was in February 2022, when Joe Biden was president. Now Democrats are slightly more trusted to handle the economy than Republicans — 37% to 33%. That's not a wide margin, but it's a sharp turnaround from the 16-point advantage Republicans had on the question in 2022. There are a number of other stark findings in this wide-ranging survey that focused on the economic pressures Americans are facing. The poll found that many Americans are having difficulty making ends meet, they worry about the economic outlook for themselves and the country, and most believe the country is already in a recession —...

Reuters/Ipsos survey suggests Americans are increasingly unhappy with Trump’s handling of the economy. A new poll suggests that the number of people in the United States who approve of the job Donald Trump is doing as president has dropped to 39 percent as concerns grow over the... The poll released by Reuters/Ipsos on Tuesday indicated Trump’s approval rating is down about 2 points from 41 percent earlier this month, a decline driven partly by growing economic dissatisfaction among members of Trump’s... Just 33 percent of respondents expressed approval of Trump’s handling of economic issues, the lowest level since he took office for a second time in January. Growing affordability woes could be a serious political liability for Trump and his allies, who campaigned in 2024 on a promise to address inflation and concerns around the cost of living. WASHINGTON — For all of President Trump’s promises of an economic “golden age,” a spate of weak indicators last week told a potentially worrisome story as the effects of his policies are coming into...

Job gains are dwindling. Inflation is ticking upward. Growth has slowed compared with last year. More than six months into his term, Trump’s blitz of tariff hikes and his new tax-and-spending bill have remodeled America’s trading, manufacturing, energy and tax systems to his liking. He’s eager to take credit for any perceived wins and is hunting for someone else to blame if the financial situation starts to totter. But as of now, this is not the boom the Republican president promised, and his ability to blame his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, for any economic challenges has faded as the world economy hangs...

When Friday’s monthly jobs report turned out to be decidedly bleak, Trump ignored the warnings in the data and fired the head of the agency that produces the report.

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