Trump's cost-of-living ratings sink as US voters fume before midterms

Americans are increasingly unhappy with President Donald Trump's handling of the economy and rising prices, with a new poll showing deep frustration over the cost of living just weeks before the midterm elections in November. The findings from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research come as Trump campaigns aggressively and asks voters to act as if he is on the ballot, even though the elections are to decide whether Republicans keep control of Congress.

Only 17 per cent of US adults approve of Trump's handling of the cost of living, while 26 per cent approve of his handling of the economy overall, a new low. A majority, 65 per cent, say Trump's policies are more responsible for persistently high costs than factors outside his control. Americans are also broadly unhappy with his handling of Iran and trade, though border security remains an area where about half say they approve of his performance.

The poll suggests the economic pain is weighing heavily on Trump as more Americans worry about paying for essentials. About half 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 affording food. About 7 in 10 Americans say Trump's handling of the cost of living has been 'worse than expected', including roughly half of Republicans.

Among those disappointed is Robert Gault, 66, a retired factory worker from Bradford, Pennsylvania, who describes himself as a Republican. 'I was hoping it would be better or different, but it's not really good,' he said. '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. He said, "Make America Great Again." And I have not seen him do that.'

Pedro Sanchez, 52, of Perris, California, who voted for Trump and works in law enforcement, said, 'Prices are extremely exorbitant. Just the cost of everything is going up as a result of fuel. I used to have a lot more disposable income. I don't have that any more. It's gotten eaten up because of all these increases in the cost of everything.' Trump's approval on the economy is down 14 percentage points from March 2025, soon after he began his second term, marking a sharp shift from his first term when the economy was often a political strength.

Trump spent much of the 2024 campaign attacking President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, both Democrats, over inflation and promising to lower prices. Now, many voters say those promises have not been met. Bethany Lnenicka, 41, who runs a small farm in Fairfax, Iowa, said, 'Groceries are just kind of out of control. It seems like everything is going up. 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.' Lnenicka, a political independent who usually votes Republican and has voted for Trump three times, said she had expected his second term to be more like his first. 'I just do not feel like it has gotten a lot better,' she said.

Discontent is visible among Republicans too. About 6 in 10 Republicans now disapprove of Trump's handling of the cost of living, up from about half in April. Kristen Slaven, 41, a mental health therapist from Gluckstadt, Mississippi, who typically votes Republican, said, 'It definitely doesn't feel like we have trended in the right direction.' She added that Trump is focused on the wrong things: 'Obviously wars don't help. When they're necessary, I understand. But our focus on renaming bodies of water and pieces of land, that's just stupid to me when people can't feed their family.' She added, 'I had hoped that it would be better.'

Even so, many Republicans are still willing to give Trump some leeway. About 67 per cent say factors outside his control are more to blame for high prices. Fred Naumann, 51, a Republican and longtime Trump supporter from Green Bay, Wisconsin, said, 'I think inflation is a very difficult thing to tackle.' Naumann, who works in the automotive industry, said he would like interest rates to come down, but he supports tariffs and the war with Iran, which he believes was necessary.

Across the wider public, however, the numbers remain bleak for Trump. Overall, 69 per cent say the war with Iran has not been worth fighting, up slightly from 64 per cent in July, and only 28 per cent approve of how he is handling Iran. Only about 3 in 10 adults approve of his handling of trade negotiations with other countries, down from about 4 in 10 in March. About 64 per cent say he has 'gone too far' in imposing new tariffs, up from 58 per cent in January. Only about 3 in 10 Americans approve of how he is handling the presidency overall, and about 6 in 10 say the country is 'much' or 'somewhat' worse off than when he began his second term. Border security is the one issue where he retains relative strength, with about half approving of his performance.

The poll also shows Trump is being blamed more directly for high prices than Biden was before the 2022 midterms. Trump's economic approval rating is close to Biden's 28 per cent in June 2022, when inflation was at record highs during the COVID-19 pandemic. But in October 2022, 44 per cent said Biden's policies were responsible for high prices, while 55 per cent blamed factors outside his control. Sanchez said Trump bears at least some responsibility now. 'I think he has a lot to do with it. This war in Iran, the tariffs that he's placing on other countries, obviously are affecting us. Those two things are things he's been directly involved in that directly affect the economy,' he said. 'I think with Biden, a lot of the stuff was outside of his control. It was all the COVID and how that affected everything else. I don't think that there was much that he could have done.'

With the midterms close, the poll points to broad disappointment with Trump's handling of prices, trade and the economy, including among some of his own supporters. While a section of Republicans continues to back him, many Americans now say things feel worse than they had hoped, and more of them are holding his policies responsible for the strain on household budgets.

With PTI Inputs