Americans are increasingly dissatisfied with President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy and rising living costs, with a new AP-NORC poll finding that only 17% of U.S. adults approve of his performance on the cost of living. Just 26% approve of his handling of the economy overall, the lowest level recorded in the poll’s measures of his economic performance.

The survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research also found that 65% of Americans blame Trump’s policies more than factors outside his control for persistently high prices. Concern over everyday expenses has grown in recent months, with about half of U.S. adults saying they are extremely or very concerned about being able to afford gasoline, compared with 39% in July. A similar share expressed serious concern about affording food.

Trump’s economic approval has fallen 14 percentage points from March 2025, shortly after he began his second term. About seven in 10 Americans said his handling of the cost of living had been worse than expected, including roughly half of Republicans. Around six in 10 Republicans now disapprove of his performance on the issue, an increase from about half in April. Several Republican voters interviewed for the poll described continued pressure from grocery and other household costs despite their expectations that Trump’s return to office would bring relief.

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The poll also reflects dissatisfaction with other aspects of Trump’s policies. About 69% of Americans said the war with Iran had not been worth fighting, while only 28% approved of his handling of Iran. His trade policies also received limited support, with about three in 10 approving of his handling of trade negotiations and 64% saying he had gone too far with new tariffs. Overall, only about three in 10 Americans approved of Trump’s performance as president, while about six in 10 said the country was worse off than when he began his second term. Border security remained an area of comparatively stronger approval, with about half supporting his performance.

The findings come ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, when control of Congress will be contested, and as Trump campaigns for Republican candidates. The poll also contrasts with public perceptions of President Joe Biden before the 2022 midterms. While Biden’s economic approval reached 28% in June 2022 amid record-high inflation, only 44% of Americans in October that year blamed his policies for high prices, while 55% attributed them to factors outside his control. The latest AP-NORC findings indicate that a larger share of Americans currently attributes elevated costs directly to Trump’s policies, including tariffs and the conflict with Iran.

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