Trump ‘stuck’ with ‘negative’ approval on the economy: Guy Benson
A Washington Examiner article by Guy Benson notes that President Trump remains politically vulnerable on the economy, with negative public sentiment possibly hurting GOP prospects ahead of the 2026 midterms. Benson, speaking on Fox News Special Report, argued that Republicans must turn around economic approval, especially after Trump’s NBC interview where he said he would campaign on the governance’s economic developments. Polls cited in the piece show Americans largely attribute economic conditions to the president, and voters feel Trump spends too much time on immigration and not enough on the economy (about 70% say the economy is in bad shape in a January Fox News poll). Benson adds that, while the White House and economists point to upcoming economic betterment, Trump’s messaging needs sharpening to keep the midterms competitive, and his endorsements in GOP primaries have not yet cleared the field. He contends that Trump is positioning the economy as his own and believes voters could feel tangible benefits by summer if improvements materialize.
Trump ‘stuck’ with ‘negative’ approval on the economy: Guy Benson
Washington Examiner senior columnist Guy Benson said Republicans have to “turn around” approval on the economy ahead of the midterm elections.
Benson’s comments on Fox News’s Special Report with Bret Baier were in response to President Donald Trump’s interview with NBC News, where Trump revealed he will be on the road ahead of the 2026 elections “pitching” the administration’s economic developments.
“The question — and this is the big one that’s been hanging over this whole issue — will people truly feel the benefits, if the positive developments in fact come,” he said. “Will they feel them and internalize them enough, let’s say by the summer, to move the needle on approval?”
Benson highlighted that polls have shown Americans assign economic outcomes, “fairly or unfairly,” to the sitting president. Because of this, he argued, the Trump administration needs to improve messaging on the economy so the midterm elections are “competitive.”
“Right now, the president — still pretty stuck in negative territory and sentiment on that overall issue set,” he said. “They definitely need to turn that around if the midterms are gonna be competitive.”
Voters said Trump is spending “too much” time on immigration and not enough time on the economy, with 7 in 10 people saying the economy is in “bad shape,” according to a January Fox News poll.
He said the White House, Republicans, and economists have indicated that there are “green chutes economically” coming soon.
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“[Trump] is owning [the economy],” Benson said. “He’s not saying, ‘Oh look at all this mess I inherited,’ which, of course, he did.”
“But he’s saying, ‘This is my economy now,’ and he agrees with voters on that point,” he added.
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