Trump is in real political trouble as for the first time ever in his presidency more voters say the economy is getting worse than say it’s getting better.
The Quinnipiac Poll delivered the bad news to Trump:
For the first time since President Trump was elected, more voters say that the national economy is getting worse than getting better, with 37 percent saying it is getting worse, 31 percent saying it is getting better, and 30 percent saying it is staying the same. This compares to a June 11, 2019 poll in which 23 percent of voters said that the national economy is getting worse, 39 percent said it is getting better, and 37 percent said it is staying the same.
When asked to rate the state of the nation’s economy, 61 percent of voters say that it is excellent or good, while 37 percent say that it is not so good or poor. These numbers, while still clearly positive on the economy, are the lowest excellent/good economy numbers found by the Quinnipiac University Poll since April 2018. Voters also say that President Trump’s policies are hurting the nation’s economy at 41 percent, while 37 percent say that they are helping, and 20 percent say that his policies make no difference.
Trump’s approval rating on handling the economy is now firmly under 50%, and the number of voters who give the economy good marks is trending down. If consumer spending drops, this economy is going to hit the skids fast. There are a number of factors such as the decline in manufacturing and Trump’s tariffs hurting farmers that are dragging down economic performance.
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If the economy drops during the 2020 election, Trump is going to lose the only positive talking point that he could use to appeal to voters outside of his base. The nation is moving toward recession, and this poll shows the limits of Trump’s Twitter account. The president can’t tweet away a recession. Trump can’t mount a social media PR campaign to convince voters that there is no recession.
The top Democrats have a big lead over Trump in hypothetical 2020 matchups, and it will only get bigger if this economy slides into recession.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
