According to new polls, Donald Trump starts 2026 with serious trouble. His support is falling among working- and middle-class Americans.
Only 31% of people earning $50,000 or less approve of his job, while 65% disapprove, a late December YouGov/Economist poll found. Just 29% in this group think the country is heading in the right direction. Higher-income voters were slightly more positive, with 40% feeling optimistic and 51% pessimistic.
Support has also dropped for those earning $50,000–$100,000. Trump’s net approval slipped from -10 in October to -17 in December. Only 40% in this middle-class group now approve of his performance.
Even some of Trump’s 2024 supporters are concerned. A poll by GQR for The Century Foundation found that 43% think the economy is not doing well. Many Americans are skipping meals or medical care.
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Angela Hanks, director of policy programs at the Century Foundation, said, “People are telling us in all kinds of ways the financial pain they’re feeling in their lives. You can downplay it, but it doesn’t change how people are experiencing the economy.”
Foreign policy is also a problem. A December Quinnipiac poll found most Americans, across party lines, now oppose U.S. military action in Venezuela. This puts the White House at odds with public opinion.
Trump’s leadership image is slipping.
Gallup reports that only 48% of voters now see him as “strong and decisive,” down from 59% at the start of his first term.
Senator Elizabeth Warren said, “This evidence suggests the real ‘con job’ was Donald Trump’s promise to lower costs on ‘day one.’ Working people are skipping meals, delaying medical care and falling behind on their utility bills while Trump focuses on building a golden ballroom for himself and his corporate donors.”
Trump fired back on Truth Social: “The polls are rigged even more than the writers. The real number is 64%, and why not, our Country is ‘hotter’ than ever before. Isn’t it nice to have a STRONG BORDER, No Inflation, a powerful Military, and great Economy??? Happy New Year!”
White House spokesman Kush Desai added, “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% annualized rate. Americans can count on inflation continuing to fall and real wages continuing to rise.”
With midterms coming, the drop in approval among working- and middle-class voters is worrying. Economic struggles, doubts about leadership, and foreign policy disagreements could shape the 2026 campaign.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
