Only 17% of U.S. adults approve of Donald Trump's handling of the cost of living, according to a recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
uncertain
% → approve → Research
Approval of the Republican president on the economy overall has slipped to 26%, a new low.
asserted
Approval → slip → %
A majority of U.S. adults, 65%, now blame Trump's policies for persistently high costs more than factors outside of his control.
asserted
majority → blame → control
The findings signal growing weariness over his aggressive use of tariffs and continued unhappiness with the war with Iran.
asserted
findings → signal → Iran
The dismal numbers arrive just weeks before midterm elections that will determine whether Republicans maintain control of Congress.
asserted
Republicans → arrive → Congress
Democrats hold surprise leads in red states on the eve of voting, driven by voter frustration over the economy
The Democratic Party’s Senate candidates are leading their GOP counterparts in several key battleground states on the eve of voting, including Texas and Alaska, where the president won comfortably in 2024, according to the latest New York Times polling.
uncertain
president → hold → polling
Trump has been hitting the campaign trail with an aggressive rally schedule, asking voters to pretend that he is on the ballot as he tries to bolster turnout.
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he → hit → turnout
Even so, he remains deeply unpopular, with even many Republicans faulting him for failing to deliver on promised relief.
asserted
Republicans → remain → 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.
asserted
who → hop → 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.
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he → think → general
He said, ‘Make America Great Again.’
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America → say → ?
And I have not seen him do that.”
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him → see → that
Trump’s rating drops to 32% as voters favor Democrats on the economy
A Reuters/Ipsos poll last week showed Trump's overall rating at 32% heading into the midterms.
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poll → drop → midterms
The survey showed registered voters favoring Democrats over Republicans on the generic congressional ballot, 47% to 36%, with the lead holding among likely voters at 53% to 44%.
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lead → show → %
The congressional race has turned sharply on inflation after February military strikes on Iran drove fuel prices higher.
asserted
strikes → turn → prices
In the poll, 73% of voters said their cost of living was heading in the wrong direction.
asserted
cost → say → direction
Voters now favor Democrats over Republicans as better economic stewards by 37% to 33%, while 46% of Democrats report high enthusiasm to vote compared with just 30% of Republicans.
asserted
% → favor → Republicans
Trump's current approval on the economy marks a 14-percentage-point drop from March 2025, just after he took office for the second time.
asserted
he → mark → time
Much of the 2024 campaign saw Trump hammer Democrats on inflation and promise to lower prices.
asserted
Trump → see → prices
Rising food and gas prices trigger widespread buyer's remorse, even among Trump voters
About 7 in 10 Americans say Trump's handling of the cost of living has been “worse than expected.”
That figure includes roughly half of Republicans, about 6 in 10 of whom now disapprove of his handling of the issue.
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10 → rise → issue
Over recent months, Americans have grown more worried about affording basics like groceries and gas, with roughly half of U.S. adults saying they are “extremely” or "very" concerned about both.
asserted
they → grow → both
Just the cost of everything is going up as a result of fuel,” said Pedro Sanchez, 52, of Perris, California, a law enforcement worker who voted for Trump.
asserted
who → go → Trump
“I used to have a lot more disposable income.
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I → use → income
I don’t have that anymore.
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I → have → that
It’s gotten eaten up because of all these increases in the cost of everything.”
asserted
It → eat → everything
Bethany Lnenicka, 41, who operates a small farm in Fairfax, Iowa, voted for Trump three times and hoped his second term would match his first.
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term → operate → first
“Groceries are just like kind of out of control,” she said.
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she → say → control
“It seems like everything is going up...
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everything → seem → ?
And of course your income doesn’t go up.”
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income → go → course
Kristen Slaven, 41, a therapist in Gluckstadt, Mississippi, who typically votes Republican, agreed: “It definitely doesn’t feel like we have trended in the right direction.
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we → vote → direction
Obviously, wars don’t help... 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.”
asserted
people → help → family
The Aporia
