President Trump’s approval rating on his longtime political calling card — the economy — has sunk to 31%, the lowest it has been across both of his terms as president, according to a new survey from The Associated Press-NORC.
The decline in the approval rating comes as the administration is working to take on an affordability crisis that has been weighing on consumers.
By the numbers: The survey, conducted from Dec. 4-8, sampled more than 1,100 adults mainly via web interviews.
- 68% of voters — including 44% of Republicans — say the economy is in poor shape.
- About half of Americans say it’s harder than usual to afford holiday gifts this year.
- About half say they are cutting back on nonessential purchases more than they usually would.
- A “vast majority” report seeing higher prices for groceries and electricity, underscoring a persistent cost-of-living strain.
- Trump’s economic approval rating is down from 40% in the same poll two months after he entered office. It reached as high as 43% in August.
- That’s significant given the degree to which affordability issues played into his reelection.
- “Every member of the Trump administration continues to focus on recreating the historic job, wage and economic growth that Americans enjoyed during President Trump’s first term,” White House spokesman Kush Desai tells Axios via email.
- (AXIOS)