Voters Are Souring On One Of Donald Trump’s Biggest Strengths

And four other polling takeaways one month into Trump’s term.

When Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris last November, he did so on the back of widespread economic discontent. More than two-thirds of voters believed the economy, battered by inflation, was in “not good” or “poor” shape. Among voters who said their top issue was the economy, Trump won by a massive 81% to 18% margin.

There was a fear among Democrats that Trump, a billionaire businessman who presided over an economy most voters liked until the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020, could quickly turn around this negative economic sentiment. Former President Joe Biden repeatedly struggled to convince voters that high employment and robust job creation meant the economy was good even if prices remained high. They worried that Trump, a more natural salesman than the 82-year-old, would be able to persuade voters that they were actually living in the golden age that Trump had repeatedly promised.

A month into his presidency, however, the economy is not a clear strength for Trump. Five polls released over the past two days ― from CNN, Quinnipiac, the Washington Post, Reuters and Gallup ― show signs of simmering discontent. All five surveys indicate that Trump is underwater in his handling of the economy, which is the core of his political strength.

At the root of the problem is a belief that Trump is doing little to lower prices, which many Americans believe are simply too high. In CNN’s survey, 62% of Americans say Trump has not done enough to lower prices. In a Reuters poll, just 32% approved of Trump’s handling of inflation. In the Post’s poll, only 7% of Americans said grocery prices were “excellent” or “good,” while an incredible 92% said they were “not so good” or “poor.”

Trump and his administration’s allies have tried to lower expectations about when prices will go down after repeatedly promising nearly instant relief on the campaign trail. Democrats, however, are eager to flip the script.