Trump's economic approval crashes to 26% as 65% of Americans blame his policies for high prices

From the Newshound archive · first published 2 October 2026.

Two-thirds of Americans hold President Donald Trump's policies directly responsible for rising prices, according to a new AP-NORC poll that represents his weakest economic numbers to date. His economic approval rating has slumped to 26% — a 14-point drop since March 2025. A damaging 69% consider his management of living costs to have fallen short of expectations, a view shared by 52% of Republicans. Trump has maintained that he inherited the problem from Joe Biden, but the poll shows far fewer Americans pointed the finger at Biden for inflation at an equivalent stage of his term.

Just 17% of adults approve of Trump's handling of the cost-of-living crisis, his worst rating on any issue surveyed.

Iran war-driven gas and oil price rises are compounding the misery, with Trump predicting prices will fall once the conflict ends.

Democrats are already capitalising on the numbers ahead of midterm elections, as Trump prepares a 35-race campaign blitz starting in Texas and Oklahoma.