President Donald Trump is facing fresh political headwinds heading into the Christmas season, as a new poll suggests Americans are feeling squeezed—and many aren’t crediting him for improving the economy.
A nationwide survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that rising financial strain is pushing people to scale back on non-essential purchases and delay major buys ahead of the holidays. The poll also reported that just 31 percent of Americans approve of how Trump is handling the economy.
Why It Matters
The results land as an unwelcome development for Trump, who campaigned on boosting growth and lowering costs for everyday Americans.
A weak economic approval rating could also become a problem for Republicans as they look toward the 2026 midterm elections, when voter sentiment about household finances often plays an outsized role.
White House spokesman Kush Desai told Newsweek: “President Trump and every member of his Administration are clear-eyed about the fact that Americans continue to reel from the lingering effects of Joe Biden’s generational economic crisis.
“Turning the Biden economic disaster around has informed nearly every action the Trump administration has taken since Day One, from unleashing American energy to cut gas prices to signing historic drug pricing deals to cut costs for American patients.
“Much work remains, and every member of the Trump administration continues to focus on recreating the historic job, wage, and economic growth that Americans enjoyed during President Trump’s first term.”
What To Know
The AP-NORC poll, conducted December 4–8 among 1,146 adults, found that nearly half of respondents said they were shopping less than usual for non-essential items. Specifically, 48 percent said they were cutting back on those purchases. The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.
Inflation may be lower than its peak, but the day-to-day cost of living still appears to be driving frustration:
- 87 percent of adults said grocery prices are higher than usual.
- About two-thirds said the same about electricity and holiday gifts.
- Lower-income adults—those earning under $50,000 a year—were especially likely to say they’re delaying big purchases and trimming non-essential spending.
The poll also found that about two-thirds of Americans described the national economy as poor—unchanged from polls conducted before Trump returned to the presidency.
The findings mirror patterns seen during the 2022 holiday season under former President Joe Biden, when high inflation caused many households to adopt similar spending habits.
While inflation has eased from its four-decade high in 2022, the poll indicates high prices remain the main obstacle for many Americans—and optimism about 2026 is limited. Roughly four in 10 adults expect 2026 to be worse economically than 2025, while only about two in 10 believe things will improve.
What People Are Saying
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday: “When will I get credit for having created, with No Inflation, perhaps the Greatest Economy in the History of our Country? When will people understand what is happening? When will Polls reflect the Greatness of America at this point in time, and how bad it was just one year ago?”
Sergio Ruiz, from Tucson, Arizona, told The Associated Press: “Prices are up. What can you do? You need to make more money.”
Millicent Simpson from Cleveland, Ohio, told AP: “[Trump] is making it rough for us. He’s messing with the government assistance for everybody, young and old.”
What Happens Next
Trump and his administration have begun a national tour aimed at improving public confidence in the economy ahead of the 2026 midterms.
