Most Americans blame Trump for high prices as midterms approach, finds new AP-NORC poll
Americans are deeply frustrated with President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy and rising prices, with most panning his performance and blaming his policies as higher costs threaten his party’s chances in November.
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research finds that only 17 per cent of US adults approve of the Republican president’s handling of the cost of living. Just 26 per cent approve of his handling of the economy overall, marking a new low. A majority, 65 per cent, of US adults now blame Trump’s policies for persistently high costs more than factors outside of his control, signalling growing weariness over his aggressive use of tariffs and continued unhappiness with the war with Iran.
The dismal numbers come just weeks before midterm elections that will determine whether Republicans maintain control of Congress, while Trump is hitting the campaign trail with an aggressive schedule of rallies. But Trump -- who has asked voters to pretend that he is on the ballot as he tries to bolster turnout — remains deeply unpopular, with even many Republicans faulting him for failing to deliver on promised relief.
“I was hoping it would be better or different, but it’s not really good,” said Robert Gault, 66, a retired factory worker from Bradford, Pennsylvania, who describes himself as a Republican.
“Our president, I thought, was going to help the country, and so far he has not really seemed to have done that with the economy or in general. He’s not really done what I was hoping he would,” said Gault. “He said, ‘Make America Great Again.’ And I have not seen him do that.”
Over the last few months, Americans have grown more worried about being able to afford basics like groceries and gas. About half of US adults now say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to fill their tanks, up from 39 per cent in July. About half are also highly concerned about being able to afford food. Prices are “extremely exorbitant. Just the cost of everything is going up as a result of fuel,” said Pedro Sanchez, 52, of Perris, California, who voted for Trump and works in law enforcement. “I used to have a lot more disposable income. I don’t have that any more. “
Trump’s current approval on the economy is a 14-percentage-point drop from March 2025, just after he took office for the second time. His struggles on the issue mark a significant departure from his first term, when the economy was often a point of strength.
Trump spent much of the 2024 campaign hammering President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Democrats, on inflation and promising to lower prices. Now, there’s widespread disappointment with his performance. About 7 in 10 Americans say Trump’s handling of the cost of living has been “worse than expected.” That includes roughly half of Republicans, who are also broadly concerned about being able to afford groceries and gas.
“Groceries are just kind of out of control. It seems like everything is going up,” said Bethany Lnenicka, 41, who operates a small farm in Fairfax, Iowa. “It’s just one thing, and the next week it’s another thing. It’s just insane. And of course your income doesn’t go up.”
A political independent who typically votes Republican and has voted for Trump three times, Lnenicka said she had hoped his second term would be more like his first.
