{"id":2646010,"date":"2026-08-17T12:09:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T16:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/most-americans-worse-off-financially-since-trump-re-took-office-poll\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T12:12:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T16:12:56","slug":"most-americans-worse-off-financially-since-trump-re-took-office-poll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/most-americans-worse-off-financially-since-trump-re-took-office-poll\/","title":{"rendered":"Most Americans worse off financially since Trump re-took office: Poll"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmost-americans-worse-off-financially-since-trump-re-took-office-poll%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2646010&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Most Americans believe thier financial situation has worsened as president donald Trump was re-elected nearly two years ago, with 53% feeling worse off and only 20% feeling better. A meaningful majority (63%) also think the economy is headed in the wrong direction.This negative outlook poses challenges for the Republican Party in upcoming elections,especially on issues of affordability,which voters cite as a top concern. Democrats currently hold a slight advantage over Republicans in favorability ratings (41% vs.39%), while socialists remain broadly viewed unfavorably. When evaluating party strengths on various issues, Democrats are favored on healthcare, affordability, and economic concerns, whereas Republicans lead on immigration, crime, safety, and foreign policy. Key issues for voters include inflation,the economy,and war,with priorities such as rising costs,protecting Social Security and Medicare,and potential political moves like efforts to impeach Trump. Regarding future presidential candidates,Vice President JD Vance is the top choice among Republicans,and Kamala Harris leads among Democrats. Favorability ratings for potential contenders show a close race,with some evidence that voters are leaning towards more extreme policies,though moderate approaches still have support.The survey indicates a slight Democratic preference for moderates, especially among Harris supporters, while Trump voters tend to favor more progressive stances.The poll, conducted with a margin of error of 2.1 percentage points among 2,152 respondents, was carried out in early August.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The majority of the public believes they are worse off financially than when President<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\"> Donald Trump<\/a> won a second term nearly two years ago, according to a new poll that painted an ominous picture of Republicans\u2019 electability in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11675\">2026 midterm elections<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <em>Financial Times\/<\/em>Focaldata survey found that 53% of 2,152 respondents, including 24% of people who voted for Trump in 2024,\u00a0 believe their <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.focaldata.com\/blog\/democrats-maintain-lead-three-months-out-from-midterms\">economic condition has worsened<\/a>. That number compares with 20% who said they were better off, and 26% who said they feel \u201cabout the same.\u201d In the survey, 63% of respondents said they believe the<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/\" data-type=\"category\" data-id=\"544\"> economy<\/a> is going in the wrong direction, including 37% of 2024 Trump voters. <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4689645\/majority-americans-worse-off-financially-trump-second-term-poll\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Majority of Americans say they\u2019re worse off financially since Trump took office again: Poll<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4689197\/nicki-minaj-backs-byron-donalds\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Nicki Minaj backs Byron Donalds and tells Barbz to support him<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4677344\/september-2026-social-security-direct-payment-16-days\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>September Social Security direct payment worth $994 goes out in 16 days<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The results signal the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican-party\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"514\">Republican Party<\/a> could face struggles in the November elections, facing particular vulnerabilities on<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/affordability\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"21532\"> affordability<\/a> \u2014 voters\u2019 top concern. Democrats lead Republicans on favorability ratings, 41% to 39%, according to the survey. Socialists, who have won primaries across the country and are eyeing a surge this fall, are more broadly viewed unfavorably, 44% to 22%. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked which party is best at handling certain issues, Democrats carried healthcare and most issues related to affordability, including housing, inflation and the cost of living, and jobs and the economy. Republicans won on immigration and border security, crime and public safety, artificial intelligence, and war, including the Iran conflict. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inflation and the cost of living, the economy and jobs, and war and international conflicts emerged as the top three, in that order, when respondents were asked to identify the most important issues facing the country. When asked to name their top three priorities for their congressmember after the midterm elections, respondents listed the rising cost of groceries and gas, protecting Social Security and Medicare from funding cuts, and impeaching Trump, in that order. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked who they would pick to be their party\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2028-elections\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11676\">2028 presidential<\/a> nominee if forced to choose in the next few months, Vice President JD Vance carried the GOP side as top choice at 41%, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio coming in second at 17%. On the Democratic side, former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost the 2024 presidential race to Trump, came in at 29%, with Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) taking second at 13%. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Favorability rankings for the top potential presidential contenders painted a tighter race. Rubio polled at 38%, while Vance took 40% among Republicans. Among Democrats, Harris polled at 42% favorability, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) at 29%, and Newsom at 28%. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The poll also found that more extreme policies appear to be trending with voters. Emphasizing more moderation in both parties was favored by just 48% of respondents, compared to 52% who agreed that their preferred party should embrace more progressive or conservative policies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrat-leaning respondents were more likely to favor leaning into moderate policies than their Republican counterparts, according to the poll. In the survey, 45% of 2024 Trump voters backed becoming more moderate \u201cto win elections,\u201d compared to 52% of respondents who voted for Harris that year. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/economy\/4689225\/half-democratic-voters-negative-view-capitalism-poll\/\">HALF OF DEMOCRATIC VOTERS HOLD NEGATIVE VIEW OF CAPITALISM: POLL<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another question on the survey indicated the jury is still out on whether Democrats prefer moderates. While respondents overall indicated a preference for \u201cpragmatic moderates\u201d over \u201cprogressive reformers\u201d by a 35% to 27% margin, Harris voters were more likely than Trump voters to prefer the progressive candidate, 39% to 16%. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <em>Financial Times<\/em>\/Focaldata survey\u2019s margin of error is 2.1 percentage points. It polled 2,152 respondents between Aug. 7 and 11. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most Americans feel worse off financially since Trump\u2019s 2nd term, poll shows<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2646011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26228725686076.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[32647,9168,33568,3634],"class_list":["post-2646010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-american-voters","tag-economy","tag-financial-struggles","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26228725686076.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2646010"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2646014,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646010\/revisions\/2646014"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2646011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2646010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2646010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2646010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}