All signs are pointing to a midterm election dominated by voters’ concerns about the economy, and a poll released Wednesday shows how that could be bad news for President Trump and his fellow Republicans.
In a new CNN poll, more than two-thirds of registered voters said the economy is an “extremely important” factor in how they’ll vote in November, a higher percentage than in the previous two midterm elections. In a major shift, a larger percentage of voters said they agree with Democrats more than Republicans on the economy, a reversal of the more typical arrangement.
Voters seem extremely unhappy with Trump’s handling of the economy, with just 27% expressing approval versus 73% expressing disapproval. Just 28% of respondents said economic conditions are good, with two-thirds saying Trump had made economic conditions worse and majorities seeing the Iran war and Trump’s tariffs as negative factors for their personal finances. On inflation, a mere 20% said they approve of Trump’s handling of the issue.
These historically low numbers on the economy are shaping a historically low overall approval rating. Just 33% of poll respondents said they approve of Trump’s job performance, the lowest number in his political career. The percentage of people who “strongly” approve of his performance also fell to a career low of 13%, while a majority — 51% — now say they “disapprove strongly.”
Policies not helping: Republicans had hoped that their policies, including the massive tax cut package they passed in 2025, would help them in the election, but few respondents in the CNN poll report that the changes in the tax law or the new federal savings accounts for newborns and children are benefiting them.
Instead, a high percentage of voters say they feel pressured in the current economy. Asked to describe their sense of their financial futures, 57% said they feel “uncertainty” and 49% said they feel “stress.” Just 23% said they feel “certainty,” a 7-point drop from the spring. More than a third said they aren’t sure they can maintain their standard of living, a more negative reading than at the end of the Great Recession.
Voters sometimes use their ballots to send a message, but there’s bad news for Republicans on that front, as well. In August 2025, 28% of voters said that if they were to vote for Congress, their vote would be used to send a message of support for Trump. That number has now dropped to 19%. At the same time, the percentage of voters who said they would use their vote to send a message that they oppose Trump rose from 39% to 44%.
Still, while there’s good news for Democrats in the poll — including a more fired-up voting base and an 8-point edge for a generic Democrat over a generic Republican — voters are skeptical about both major parties. Congressional Democrats are just as unpopular as congressional Republicans, with roughly only a quarter of poll respondents expressing approval for either one.
The bottom line: Trump’s management of the economy is looking like a liability for Republicans this fall, likely giving Democrats an edge, even if voters aren’t exactly crazy about either party right now.