Donald Trump ran on fixing the economy. The latest numbers suggest Americans already have a verdict on how that is going.
Harry Enten, CNN’s chief data analyst, opened his Sunday segment on CNN Newsroom with one word. “Yikes,” he said, before explaining why the numbers look so bad.
Before Trump was reelected, 44% of Americans said his policies would make them financially better off. That number now sits at 18%. At the same time, 53% say Trump’s policies are making them worse off, up from 38% in October 2024. “Up like a rocket,” Enten said. The gap between better off and worse off has swung by more than 40 points in less than a year.
The numbers are even worse with independents. 60% say Trump is making them financially worse off. Just 13% say better off. “That’s a nearly 50-point switcheroo,” Enten said, compared to a two-point margin in Trump’s favor just before his reelection.
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Historically, the numbers are even more damaging. Trump’s net economic approval among independents now sits at minus 48. That puts him behind presidents who faced serious economic challenges, including George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Enten summed it up clearly. “Last in the pack,” he said.
Other polls point in the same direction. A Yahoo News and YouGov survey found Trump’s net approval on the economy at minus 29. That is his lowest economic rating ever recorded in that polling series, worse even than during the peak of COVID-19 in his first term.
Americans are also unhappy with everyday costs. Disapproval of his handling of the cost of living has reached 67%. On gas prices, his net approval sits at minus 39. These are issues people feel daily, and the frustration is clear.
Morning Consult’s latest tracker shows Trump underwater on 10 of 12 issues it measures. His highest disapproval comes on health care, the economy, and the national debt, all sitting at 50%. Even more striking, Democrats now hold a slight edge over Republicans on economic trust. That is a major shift from where things stood not long ago.
Finance expert Michael Ryan pointed to a deeper issue. “Everything with him is overpromise, underdeliver,” Ryan said. “He ran on lowering prices, restoring economic confidence, and stability. What voters see instead is war risk, sticky living costs, tariff uncertainty, and an oil shock pushing up gas prices right when households were already unhappy.”
Among independents, the frustration goes beyond the economy. 70% now disapprove of Trump’s overall job performance, with just 27% approving. Polling analyst Brett Loyd described it in blunt terms. “When 7 out of 10 Independents tell you to take a hike, it’s no longer volatility,” Loyd said. “It’s a durable rejection.”
The White House has stayed consistent in its response. Spokesman Davis Ingle pointed to the 2024 election as “the ultimate poll.” Trump told the New York Post he does not care about polling. “I have to do the right thing,” he said. “This should have been done a long time ago.”
Featured image via YouTube screengrab
