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By Hugh Cameron
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President Donald Trump has embarked on a campaign-style trip of the West Coast to tout his economic achievements, even as voters continue to sour on this aspect of his domestic agenda.
Trump traveled from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles on Tuesday for the two-day tour, which began with remarks at a Republican National Committee (RNC) fundraising event at his golf club in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Wednesday will see the president attend an event at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
A White House official told Newsweek Trump would discuss the economy and “how his Working Families Tax Cuts are delivering real results for American workers” at the latter event. It has framed the visits as an opportunity for the president to highlight his record on these two issues, as well as the differences in approach to some of his West Coast rivals.
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"The President will draw a sharp contrast between his commonsense agenda and the radical policies of Democrats like Gavin Newsom, who keep raising taxes, inviting rampant fraud in taxpayer-funded programs, and protecting illegal immigrant drug dealers, rapists, and murderers," White House assistant press secretary Olivia Wales posted to X.
Voters Frustrated With Trump’s Economy
The administration has continued to promote Trump’s record on the economy, even as polls show the public becoming increasingly skeptical of its health and trajectory amid stubborn inflation and broad-based affordability strains.
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A Harris Poll conducted for The Guardian in early July found that 95 percent of Americans now believe the U.S. is in an affordability "crisis" driven by the rising cost of groceries, gas and other expenses. This pessimism was shared by Democrats and Republicans, as well as many of Trump's core voters, indicating a political vulnerability for the GOP come November.
"The President can't bring voters around to his program with rhetoric alone," Matt Klink, a political consultant and the president of Klink Campaigns, told Newsweek. "Voters experience the economy not through GDP charts or stock market gains, but at the grocery store, the gas pump, and the kitchen table."
And more recent surveys have shown that a majority are linking these difficulties to the policies of the Trump administration.
A YouGov/Economist poll—fielded July 31 to August 3 among 1,609 U.S. adults—found that only 30 percent approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, with 65 percent disapproving for a net rating of negative 35. This compares to a net approval of negative 21 in the same pollsters’ early January survey, and mirrors the 30 percent economic approval Trump enjoyed in a late-July poll from Marquette University Law School.
Sentiment was weaker on inflation in particular, with just 25 percent saying Trump was handling rising prices well and 69 percent disapproving of his efforts, including 52 percent who disapproved "strongly."
These results have been replicated in multiple surveys, with late July polls from CNN/SSRS and Fox News giving Trump net economic approvals of negative 40 and negative 34, respectively.
Meanwhile, only 32 percent of those interviewed for an AP-NORC poll in late July said they approved of the way Trump was handling the economy. The same poll found that 69 percent considered the economy in "poor" condition, while significant shares of between 40 and 45 percent said the cost of groceries, housing, health care and gas were proving to be a "major" source of stress in their lives.
And alongside limited support for Trump’s economic agenda, surveys show Democrats may be gaining ground on this critical issue only months out from midterm voting. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published this week revealed that 37 percent of registered voters have more faith in the Democratic Party’s approach to the economy. This compares with 36 percent who sided with Republicans and 27 percent who were unsure, marking the first time the GOP has slid to second place on the issue since 2017.
However, Klink told Newsweek that Democratic candidates in this year’s midterms will need to "move beyond finger-pointing" and present "tangible solutions to the affordability issue," especially given memories of the inflationary struggles during Joe Biden’s presidency "are still fresh in people's minds.
"To date, that's been absent and unless the Democrats put forward a reliable program, expect November's results to be close," he added.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly, Trevor Davies, Sam Wilson.
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