Only 17% of Americans polled by AP-NORC at the end of last month approve of the way President Donald Trump is handling the cost of living in the U.S.
These results cover more than 2,100 voters surveyed from Sept. 24 through Sept. 28 and they are just the latest that show voters continue to be concerned about affordability ahead of the midterm elections. AP-NORC’s poll results also show that voters hold the president “responsible for higher-than-usual prices.”
Voters on both sides of the aisle are disappointed in how Trump has handled the cost of living, AP-NORC’s results revealed. More than half (52%) of Republicans said his handling of this issue was worse than expected.
While inflation has lingered since the COVID-19 pandemic, this year has come with new economic challenges – Trump’s move to go to war with Iran has come with higher gas prices, for example. Back in April, Audacy reported on Gallup poll results that found a record 55% of Americans believed finances were worsening. Over the 12-month period ending in August, inflation increased 3.4% before seasonal adjustment, according to a Sept. 11 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Overall, 65% of adults blame the president for the high prices – that considerably higher than the 44% who blamed former President Joe Biden for high prices back in October 2022. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins brushed off concerns about high beef prices last month with the suggestion to eat chicken.
Even if more than half don’t approve with how Trump is handling the cost of living, a 67% majority of Republicans still believe that that higher prices today are due to factors beyond the president’s control. Still, just 36% of Republicans who responded to the AP-NORC poll said that they believe Trump keeps his promises, higher than the 4% of Democrats who said he keeps his promises and the 17% of overall respondents who said they think he does.
“More than half of adults say the country as a whole, the national economy, and their local economy are worse off since Trump was reelected in 2025,” AP-NORC said of the respondents. That includes 46% who said they and their families are worse off since the start of Trump’s second administration.
Trump’s tariff moves are also tied into the current economic situation in the U.S., as those levies can impact the prices of consumer goods. AP-NORC said 68% of respondents disapprove of Trump’s trade negotiations, 58% say his handling of the issue is worse in his second term and 64% said his imposition of new tariffs on other countries has gone too far
“Most Americans (73%) say the country is heading in the wrong direction, including 92% of Democrats and 47% of Republicans,” said AP-NORC.
Meanwhile, Democrats – some of whom have recently pitched raising the minimum wage – have been picking up steam as voters sour on Trump’s handling of the economy. In fact, Democrats were projected to possibly take over both chambers of Congress in the November midterms as of Thursday, according to 270 to Win.
