鬼百合
Let It Burn!
Republicans less trusted on economy than Democrats for first time in years
Congressional Republicans are now three points below Congressional Democrats when it comes to trust in their economic policies from voters.
www.newsweek.com
The President has rescinded reciprocal tariffs above 10 percent on most countries, but has raised tariffs on China to 145 percent, and has given mixed signals on whether he will also put tariffs on semiconductors despite initially saying he would not put tariffs on Chinese electronics.
What To Know
Six days after Trump entered office, Republicans in Congress held an 11 point lead over Democrats when it came to which party voters trusted over the economy, according to Morning Consult polling.Now, 46 percent of Americans believe Congressional Democrats are better on the economy, compared to 43 percent who believe Republicans are better, and 11 percent have no opinion.
The last time the Democrats had the upper hand in this way was under President Joe Biden in May 2021.
The fall is likely due to the implementation of tariffs which are raising the price of goods, and the Republican budget which will increase the national deficit to $4.5 trillion by 2035 while cutting funding for Medicaid and food stamps.
Colin Seeberger, senior adviser for communications at the Center for American Progress (CAP) Action Fund, spoke with Newsweek about how voters are responding to "MAGA-nomics" and specifically the Trump-imposed tariffs.
"I think it's pretty obvious why the American people are increasingly distrustful of Republicans' management of the economy, because the party is lining up behind what is effectively massive tax increase on everyday Americans to the tune of more than $4,600 a year for the typical family, which is what our economic experts have indicated here at CAP," he said.
"This is happening against the backdrop of...Americans already struggling through an affordability crisis that's making them feel like they are slipping the further and further behind, and that their children are going to be worse off than they are."
Seeberger said that Democrats should be pointing out the impact of tariffs on working people and small business owners if they want to hold on to this positive polling swing. "It's really difficult for families to make decisions about their own budgets, or businesses to make capital investments and hire workers, against the backdrop of constantly fluctuating policy decisions for the administration," he said.
He added that Democrats often do not poll as well when it comes to economic issues because voters can more easily point to what they believe is the Republican economic message of "tax cuts and less government regulation," but struggle to hone in on what a Democratic economic plan is, Seeberger said.
Poll respondents also told Morning Consult they trust Congressional Republicans over Democrats when it comes to national debt. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points.
Morning Consult found that 45 percent of poll respondents approve of Trump's handling of the economy, and 48 percent of respondents disapprove.
Overall, Trump's approval rating is currently sitting at -10 points, having fallen from +3 points on January 26, 6 days after his inauguration, says the pollster.
Morning Consult also found that voters do not believe Trump is fulfilling what they believe should be priorities for him. For example, 71 percent of poll respondents said Trump should prioritize lowering costs, but only 46 percent of poll respondents believe he is actually prioritizing that change.
Similarly, 67 percent of people want the president to prioritize health care affordability, but only 43 percent of people believe that he is.
Trader Mark Muller works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, April 11, 2025. Richard Drew/AP Photo
What People Are Saying
Congressman Rand Paul in the National Review: "Our Founders would be appalled at a tax levied without a vote of their representatives … Tariffs raise the prices of goods and services. Even those who obstinately deny that basic fact will soon realize that the tariffs are a tax on the American people, whether while paying for groceries or looking at their investment portfolio."Senator Patty Murray on X: "Trump inherited a historically strong economy and he is single-handedly destroying it—and Republicans are letting him. We have got to speak out."
Stephen King on X: "By most metrics, the U.S. economy was the strongest in the world when Mr. Trump took office in January, leading some analysts to describe the president's actions as a historic self-inflicted wound akin to a soccer player's scoring a goal against his own team."
Colin Seeberger of CAP Action Fund told Newsweek: "I think that the American people are registering an even greater hostility to MAGA-nomics as we're looking at higher prices, higher borrowing costs, [and] a cooling economy that is making it harder for businesses to be able to hire workers."
