More than half Americans now say they think the economy has become worse under the Trump administration, a new poll has found.
Around 55 percent of the country are not fans of the president’s economic actions, which will set him up for “failure” in the midterms, CNN analyst Harry Enten said Friday.
“I don‘t know how you win when the majority of Americans say the economy is getting worse,” Enten said on CNN’s News Central. “That is a formula that equals failure.”
Enten’s data tracks with other polls, including a recent survey from The Associated Press which found that around two-thirds of U.S. adults described the country’s economy as “poor,” a view which has gone unchanged in recent months.
When asked specifically about the economy, 53 percent of Americans say they disapprove of Trump’s handling of the issue, and just 39 percent approve, according to the AP poll.
The data also underscores the challenge of tackling Americans’ affordability woes that Trump is currently facing.
Over on CNN, Enten also highlighted how in addition to the view that the economy was getting worse, 54 percent say Trump’s top priority should be lowering prices – an issue that has consistently been shown to be the top priority for Americans.
But in recent speeches and Truth Social posts Trump has vehemently claimed that America is currently already in a “golden age” and that “[we’re] doing better than we’ve ever done as a country”.
In December he claimed that “the word affordability is a Democrat scam.”
According to Enten, Democrats’ focused messaging has meant that the party now has the upper hand with the American people over trust in the economy.
“The party trusted more on affordability? Overall, it‘s the Democrats by 14 points,” he said Friday, adding the margin was even greater among independent voters. “I‘m laughing—it‘s 39 points! It‘s a blowout. This is the entire ballgame right here,” he said.
Despite multiple outlets charting a decline in public opinion over the president’s handling of the economy and other issues including immigration, Trump has maintained that his numbers are the highest he has “ever received” – singling out the strong economy.
In a Truth Social post Monday night, the president wrote, “The highest Poll Numbers I have ever received. Obviously, people like a strong and powerful Country, with the best economy, EVER!”
A new The Economist/YouGov poll found that 54 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump’s job as president, while only 40 percent approve.
Trump still has a solid approval rating among his party, with 86 percent of Republicans supporting the job he’s doing.
