A majority of American voters believe they are financially worse off since Donald Trump returned to the White House, according to a Financial Times poll conducted ahead of the November midterm elections.
The Focaldata survey showed that 53% of registered voters said their financial situation had deteriorated under Trump. The figure rose to nearly 57% among independent voters, while almost one in four Republicans also reported being worse off. Around two-thirds of respondents believed the US economy was moving in the wrong direction, compared with only 25% who felt it was improving.
Democrats also held an advantage over Republicans on key economic issues, including inflation, the cost of living, employment and the broader economy. Trump received particularly poor ratings on inflation and living costs, with 64% of voters expressing disapproval. Disapproval was even higher among independents, while roughly one-third of Republicans also criticized his performance.
Overall, 55% of respondents disapproved of Trump’s job performance. His net approval rating among Republican voters also declined by eight percentage points compared with the previous month.
The poll indicated that Democrats were ahead of Republicans by 44% to 39% among voters asked which party they would support in November. Recent polling suggests Democrats have a realistic chance of winning back control of the House, although securing a majority in the Senate is expected to be considerably more challenging.
The findings come amid continued concerns about inflation, rising prices and weakening consumer confidence. Inflation reached 3.4% in July, while official figures indicated that real wages fell during the previous month.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai defended Trump’s economic record, arguing that the administration was working to make living costs more affordable through lower drug prices, increased domestic employment and tax reductions. He also highlighted what he described as improvements in national security and border protection.
The online survey was conducted by independent polling firm Focaldata between August 7 and 10. It included 1,913 registered voters and had a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.
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