President Donald Trump faces a key economic test this holiday season. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
That disconnect between improving data and persistent pessimism poses a political challenge for Trump, who rode promises of affordability back to the White House but is now confronting voter doubts about whether that promise is being met.
According to a Fox News national survey, 76% of voters rate the economy negatively, compared with 67% in July and 70% at the close of former President Joe Biden’s tenure. Voters largely blame Trump for the downturn, with about twice as many holding him responsible for the current economy as Biden, and three times as many saying his policies have hurt them personally.
At the same time, approval of Trump’s handling of the economy has dropped to a new low, while disapproval of his overall job performance has climbed to record highs, even among some of his core supporters.
Democrats leaned heavily on affordability themes in state and local elections this fall and it paid off.
In places like Virginia, New York and New Jersey, where voters have been squeezed by high housing costs and utility bills, Democratic candidates seized on Trump’s early economic moves, including his trade policy, to argue that his policies were worsening the affordability crisis rather than easing it.
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President Donald Trump has previously said tariffs are a key part of his national security agenda. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
"Americans aren't stupid, and they can put two and two together. If the guy who promised you lower prices then suddenly promises to raise prices and prices go up, well, guess what? That guy is going to get blamed," Lincicome added.
For Trump, the real test may come not from economic data but from dinner-table conversations. If Americans don’t yet feel the relief he promised, this Thanksgiving could reveal just how far affordability remains out of reach.
Amanda covers the intersection of business and geopolitics for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/holidays-approach-thanksgiving-becomes-trumps-economic-test