Americans are worried about inflation and don't like how Trump is handling it

The latest Economist / YouGov Poll shows that 61% of Americans say the economy is getting worse — the largest share of Americans to say this since 2022, and the most to ever say this in either of Donald Trump's two terms as president. The question has been asked almost every week since June 2017.

Almost all Democrats (87%), most Independents (64%), and a majority of non-MAGA Republicans (53%) say the economy is getting worse. Among MAGA Republicans — Republicans who say they are MAGA supporters — only 20% say the economy is getting worse. Only 10% of non-MAGA Republicans say the economy is getting better, compared to 51% of MAGA Republicans.

60% of Republicans say they're MAGA supporters, while 29% say they're not and 10% aren't sure.

The increase in negative opinions about the economy comes as 31% of Americans say inflation/prices is their most important issue, among the largest share to ever say this since Economist / YouGov polls began asking about it each week in summer 2022. Another 15% say their top issue is jobs and the economy.

Inflation is the most common top issue for Democrats (34%), Independents (29%), and Republicans (31%).

Only 25% of Americans strongly or somewhat approve of how Trump is handling inflation/prices, while 69% disapprove — a net approval of -44. That's the lowest net approval for Trump's handling of inflation since his second term began, and is far worse than the net approval for Trump's handling of the economy overall (-24).

Democrats nearly unanimously disapprove of how Trump is handling inflation (3% approve and 95% disapprove), as do most Independents (16% vs. 75%). A majority of Republicans approve of Trump's handling of inflation (60% vs. 36), but there is a big split between Republicans who are and are not MAGA supporters. Among MAGA Republicans, 75% approve and 22% disapprove of how Trump is handling inflation, but among non-MAGA Republicans, 32% approve and 61% disapprove.

Overall, 36% of Americans strongly or somewhat approve of how Trump is handling his job as president, and 58% disapprove — a net approval of -22. That's near Trump's lowest net approval for his second term. Over the past three weekly Economist / YouGov polls, Trump has averaged a -20 net approval, his worst three-week rolling average of net approval this term.

Image: Getty (Justin Sullivan / Staff)

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