Dem
47
GOP
53
The (unfortunate) reality is that many Americans don't care much about democracy, the Constitution or the rule of law, even though they say they do. But they care very much about the economy. If the economy is in the toilet in Nov. 2026, Republicans across the country will hear about it, in no uncertain terms. Although Donald Trump won't be on the ballot personally, his economy will be.
Consequently, it is important that a new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that only 37% of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the economy. This is the low point of both Trump v1.0 and Trump v2.0. That is not an easy feat to pull off, since presidents generally don't have a lot of impact on the economy. However, Trump's tariffs certainly do, and people are noticing. In fact, 56% think Trump's retooling of the economy is "too erratic" and nearly 75% are worried about a recession.
Part of people's worries relate to the plunging stock market. A slight majority (52%) agreed with the statement: "Trump's actions could make it harder for me to live comfortably when I retire." A minority (31%) disagreed with the statement. Trump's overall approval rating has dropped to 42%.
Another bad marker is that three-quarters of Americans (including two-thirds of Republicans) don't like what the DOGEys are doing to Social Security. If the economy is in recession in 2026 and the Democrats talk a lot about it, they could do well.
The other poll with a warning is the Harvard Youth Poll, which shows that only 15% of U.S. residents 18-29 think the country is heading in the right direction. Fewer than one-third approve of Trump. Another point harks back to the Ipsos poll discussed above: More than 4 in 10 young Americans are barely getting by, and half of young adults without a college degree report financial hardship. For Black people, it is worse (45%). Latinos, it is even worse still (52%). Here are more detailed crosstabs:
And most of them don't expect things to improve. Among those struggling or getting by with limited security, 51% believe that Trump's policies will make things worse and only 18% think they will help.
Another question was about goals. The top goals, in decreasing order of importance, are: be financially secure (86%), own a home (74%), find a long-term romantic partner (67%), get married (57%), accumulate significant wealth (56%), and have kids (48%). For each of the three financial goals, the estimate that they will ever achieve the goal is 20 points less than the importance. That is, young people want to be financially successful above all else and don't expect to achieve it. This never spells good luck for the party in power. There were many other questions asked of the young Americans as well, but the overall impression is that things are going badly.
This poll is possibly important because in 2024 a substantial number of Black and Latino men voted for Trump. Now they are experiencing the consequences of their votes. That could affect how they vote in 2026. (V)