Most Americans believe President Donald Trump has not put America first and that his policies have actually worsened economic conditions, according to several recent polls.
The polls paint a bleak picture for Republicans as the midterms approach. A July CNN poll found that 73 percent of U.S. adults believe that Trump had not paid enough attention to the most important problems facing the nation. Only 27 percent said that he had his priorities right.
The poll was particularly dire on the economy, with 70 percent of respondents disapproving of his handling of it. Even on immigration, Trump's signature issue, 61 percent disapproved.
The CNN poll results largely align with a Pew Research Center poll that found Americans pessimistic about their economic future and that they directly blamed Trump's policy for declining economic conditions.
The Pew Research Center poll was conducted from July 6 to 12 and surveyed 3,554 adults, including 2,779 registered voters.
"Six-in-ten Americans now say that Trump's economic policies have worsened economic conditions in the country. This is up from the 52% who said this in January and the 53% who held this view last fall," Pew stated.
After the Iran war began in February, inflation began to spike, driven in part by higher gas prices. According to Trading Economics, hit 3.3 percent in March, 3.8 percent in April, and 4.2 percent in May. After several attempts at a ceasefire, inflation cooled a bit in June, dropping to 3.5 percent. However, with the resumption of hostilities, it is unclear whether the inflation rate will continue to trend downward.
That reality appears to be reflected in the Pew findings. Only 23 percent of respondents expected economic conditions to improve over the next year. Meanwhile, 36 percent fully expect things to get worse.
Concerns about costs are driving the negative feelings with a majority of the country, 56 percent, now saying they are "very concerned" about gas prices, according to Pew.
However, despite these negative feelings, Americans generally trust Democrats about as much as they do Republicans when it comes to the economy. About 37 percent of respondents said they preferred the Democratic Party on the economy, while 36 percent preferred Republicans.
Still, on the generic congressional ballot, Democrats held a six-point advantage with 43 percent saying they would back a Democratic candidate for Congress compared to 37 percent for Republicans.
The biggest worry for Republicans, might be the socalled enthusiasm gap. According to a recent Fox News poll, Democrats seem much more motivated to vote in the midterm elections.
A Fox News poll found that 68 percent of Democrats said that they were "extremely motivated" to vote compared to only 57 percent of Republicans.
