(The Hill) — Nearly 60 percent of Americans have a negative view of the economy under President Trump, according to a new survey.
The Wall Street Journal poll, released earlier this week, found that 57 percent of respondents described the strength of the U.S. economy as “not so good” or “poor.” Only 9 percent of respondents said the economy’s strength was “excellent” and 33 percent said it was “good.”
When participants were asked to reflect on how the economy compares to the same time last year, 49 percent said it has “gotten worse.” Another 35 percent said it’s “gotten better” and 15 percent said it’s “stayed about the same.” Just under 45 percent said they approve of Trump’s handle on the economy with 54 percent saying the opposite, according to the survey.
Roughly 55 percent said the current state of the U.S. economy has caused major or minor “financial strains” on their family. Another 43 percent said the opposite and 2 percent had no opinion, the poll found.
President Trump largely ran again in 2024 on claims that he could strengthen the country’s economy and drive down the increasing prices of everyday goods for the average American.
The president has imposed steep tariffs on foreign trading partners, including Canada, Mexico and China, to boost domestic production and investments. The import taxes have drawn lawsuits from dozens of companies who say the levies have hurt business.
About 44 percent of respondents said they approve of Trump’s handle on tariffs, while 55 percent said they disapprove, the survey shows.
Still, Trump and his administration have insisted that his trade policies are resulting in economic gains for the U.S.
The Journal results follow a similar poll done by CNN/SRSS, which showed that more than half of U.S. adults view the first year of the president’s second term as a “failure.” An overwhelming 61 percent of respondents also said they disapprove of the president’s total job performance.
Despite declining approval, Trump has maintained that his economic policies should be rated an “A plus plus plus” and said he is working to “fix” affordability issues caused by the Biden administration.
The Journal survey was conducted Jan. 8-13 among 1,500 registered voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.