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By Hugh Cameron
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President Donald Trump’s approval rating among working class Americans has sunk to historic lows, as voters grapple with persistent affordability challenges that could weigh on his party’s electoral success next year and shape the second half of his presidency.
According to the latest YouGov/Economist poll, only 31 percent of those earning $50,000 or less approve of Trump's handling of the presidency, compared to 65 percent who disapprove and 4 percent who were unsure.
Newsweek contacted the White House via email for comment.
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Why It Matters
Working class Americans broke narrowly for Trump in the 2024 presidential election, according to exit polls, reversing recent historical trends after a campaign in which the Republican attacked his opponent’s record on the economy and immigration, while promising expanded job opportunities and lower prices “on day one” of his second term.
But the U.S. continues to grapple with high and rising prices and a slowdown in the labor market that has left less affluent Americans—and now the administration—dealing with the issue of affordability. Democrats have leveraged these concerns in recent elections, and several Republican voices have expressed fear that this could hurt their chances in next year’s midterms.
What To Know
The YouGov/Economist poll surveyed nearly 1,600 adults between December 20 and 22 and has a margin of error of 3.4 percent. Trump's net approval rating among working class Americans of -34 points marks a significant downgrade from the November poll, in which 34 percent of this group approved and 62 percent disapproved of his job as president—producing a net negative rating of -28 points.
Of those earning under $50,000 per year in the latest survey, only 29 percent said the U.S. was “generally headed in the right direction,” while 61 percent considered the country “off on the wrong track.” The outlook is more positive among higher-income households, with 40 percent of those earning over $100,000 voicing optimism, 51 percent feeling pessimistic and 9 percent unsure.
On jobs and the economy, 32 percent of working-class respondents approved of Trump’s stewardship, while 58 percent disapproved, including 48 percent who did so “strongly.”
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The results are in keeping with recent assessments of Americans’ economic expectations. The Conference Board, in its latest consumer confidence survey, found that the central index had declined for the fifth consecutive month to hit its lowest level since April. Pessimism was broad-based across income groups, though lower earners—excluding those with annual incomes under $15,000—again saw sharp drops in December’s reading.
The think tank said that Americans’ evaluations of current business and employment conditions “plummeted” from November, while the forward-looking Expectations Index remained worryingly weak as in the previous month.
“The Expectations Index has now tracked under 80 for 11 consecutive months,” it wrote in Tuesday’s release, “the threshold below which the gauge signals recession ahead.”
What People Are Saying
Dana M. Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board, wrote: “Consumers’ write-in responses on factors affecting the economy continued to be led by references to prices and inflation, tariffs and trade, and politics. However, December saw increases in mentions of immigration, war, and topics related to personal finances—including interest rates, taxes and income, banks, and insurance.”
President Donald Trump, in an address from the White House last week, said: “Here at home, we're bringing our economy back from the brink of ruin. The last administration and their allies in Congress looted our treasury for trillions of dollars, driving up prices and everything at levels never seen before. I am bringing those high prices down and bringing them down very fast.”
What Happens Next
The latest GDP report showed that the economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter of 2025. However, with weakness in the labor market and inflation still sitting above the Federal Reserve’s long-term target, more at-home economic issues are likely to impact Americans’ assessments of Trump’s economy in early 2026.
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