Latest Fox News Poll Reveals Grim Numbers for GOP on Economy

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

The latest Fox News poll revealed grim numbers for Republicans on the economy — an issue that had long been a strength for them — in what is yet another alarm bell for the GOP as the midterm elections loom.

The polling numbers for President Donald Trump and Republicans have been brutal as his second term has progressed, with his immigration crackdown cratering his support, the handling of the Epstein files getting abysmal marks, and even Americans’ views on his handling of the economy taking body blows.

The Fox News survey was conducted April 17 through 20 from a sample of 1,001 registered U.S. voters nationwide, and included live telephone calls on landlines and cell phones as well as online surveys completed from a link sent by text message. The full sample has a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.

The partisan breakdown of the poll respondents’ political identification was 42 percent Democrat (32% solid D, 10% lean D), 43 percent Republican (35% solid R, 8% lean R), and 16% independent.

As the report about the poll on FoxNews.com noted, Trump “receives negative job ratings for his handling of immigration (46% approve, 54% disapprove), China (42-57), foreign policy (40-60), Iran (37-63), the economy (34-66), government spending (33-67), and inflation (28-72),” and “[h]is only positive rating is on border security (53-47).”

The survey responses about the economy drew attention, especially the question that asked voters, “Which political party — the Democrats or the Republicans — do you think would do a better job on the economy?”

Fifty-two percent said Democrats and 48 percent said Republicans — the first time Americans have preferred Democrats on this issue since 2010, during President Barack Obama’s first term and in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

The past historical tracking of this question shows that Republicans were favored by as much as 15 points in 2022 and 2023, showing the dissatisfaction with the economy during President Joe Biden’s term that helped pave the way for Trump’s return to the White House.

The survey asked more detailed economic questions that illustrated how very unhappy Americans are about the economy right now.

When asked to rate their “personal financial situation,” only 10% said excellent, 30% said good, 32% fair, and 28% poor. The responses for the general “economic conditions today” were even worse: only 5% excellent, 21% good, 32% fair, and 41% poor.

The question “For you and your family, does it feel like the economy is getting better or getting worse?” found a large majority of pessimists: 26% said better, 70% said worse, and 4% said the same.

The president’s handling of the economy got poor grades: 56% said his policies are hurting the U.S. economy, 28% said helping, and 16% said not making much of a difference either way.

The survey further asked about specific spending categories, whether they were a major problem, minor problems, or not a problem at all for the respondents’ families.

Grocery prices were a major problem for 62%, minor problem for 30%, and not a problem for 8%; gas prices were a major problem for 60%, minor problem for 29%, and not a problem for 11%; healthcare costs were a major problem for 55%, minor problem for 27%, and not a problem for 18%; and housing costs were a major problem for 52%, minor problem for 27%, and not a problem for 21%.

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