In the weeks before a midterm election, a new national poll gives shape to a discomfort many Americans have carried for months: the sense that everyday life has grown more expensive and that the person leading the country has not made it better. Only a small fraction of adults approve of how the president handles the cost of living, and most now place the blame for stubbornly high prices on his own policies rather than on forces beyond his reach. The unease reaches even into his own party, where disapproval has grown, though many Republicans still stop short of tying the prices to his decision
Most Americans Blame Trump's Policies for High Prices as Midterms Near, AP-NORC Poll Finds
Only 17% approve of his handling of the cost of living
In the weeks before a midterm election, a new national poll gives shape to a discomfort many Americans have carried for months: the sense that everyday life has grown more expensive and that the person leading the country has not made it better. Only a small fraction of adults approve of how the president handles the cost of living, and most now place the blame for stubbornly high prices on his own policies rather than on forces beyond his reach. The unease reaches even into his own party, where disapproval has grown, though many Republicans still stop short of tying the prices to his decisions. As voters weigh tariffs, a costly foreign war, and promises of relief that have not arrived, the poll offers a snapshot of a public deciding how much its daily struggles should count at the ballot box.
A new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research puts a number on a frustration that has been building for months. Just 17% of U.S. adults approve of how President Donald Trump is handling the cost of living, and only 26% approve of his handling of the economy overall, the lowest the poll has recorded for him.
When asked where the blame lies, 65% of adults said his policies are responsible for persistently high costs more than factors outside his control. The findings point to weariness with his aggressive use of tariffs and continued unhappiness over the war with Iran, along with a broader disappointment that the economic relief he promised on the campaign trail has not materialized.
The discontent reaches into his own party. Most Republicans now disapprove of his cost-of-living performance, a notable rise since spring. Yet Republicans are less inclined than other Americans to blame his policies for the prices themselves, suggesting that disapproval of the outcome is running ahead of blame for the cause.
With midterm elections approaching and higher costs threatening Republican chances in November, the poll does not settle how these attitudes will translate into votes. It does show a president entering the final weeks with low economic approval, a majority holding him responsible for prices, and softening support within his own party.
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research puts a number on a frustration that has been building for months: just 17% of U.S. adults approve of how President Donald Trump is handling the cost of living.
The survey, reported from Washington, was released with the November midterm elections approaching. On the broader question of the economy, 26% of adults approve of the Republican president's performance. The poll marks that figure as a new low.
The poll also asked where people place the blame. A majority, 65% of U.S. adults, said Trump's policies are responsible for persistently high costs more than factors outside his control. The finding points to growing weariness with his aggressive use of tariffs, and with continued unhappiness over the war with Iran. Those two issues sit alongside a broader disappointment: that he has not delivered the economic relief he promised on the campaign trail two years ago.
The discontent reaches into his own party. Most Republicans now disapprove of Trump's handling of the cost of living, an increase from the spring. That is a notable shift for a president whose standing among his own side has usually been steadier than among the public at large.
There is a distinction in the Republican numbers, though. Even as more of them say they disapprove of his cost-of-living performance, they are less willing than other Americans to hold his policies responsible for the high prices. Disapproval of the outcome, in other words, is outpacing blame for the cause among Republicans.
The timing matters for his party. Higher costs threaten Republican chances in November, and the poll describes a public that is panning the president's performance on the issue voters feel most directly, in grocery bills, rent, and everyday spending.
The poll does not settle how those attitudes will translate into votes. What it does show is that the president heads into the final weeks before the midterms with low approval on the economy, a majority assigning him responsibility for prices, and softening ground among Republicans. Whether tariffs and the Iran war remain the focal points of that frustration is what to watch as the election nears.
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A majority of U.S. adults blame Trump's policies for persistently high costs more than factors outside his control.— AP-NORC poll finding
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Politics & Governance