Trump hit with grim economic outlook as nearly half the country thinks it's less affordable under his watch
President Donald Trump is facing a grim economic reality going into an important midterm election year - nearly half the country thinks everyday life is less affordable under his watch.
By NIKKI SCHWAB, CHIEF CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT
Published: 13:05 GMT, 30 December 2025 | Updated: 13:39 GMT, 30 December 2025
Donald Trump is facing a grim economic reality going into an important midterm election year – nearly half the country thinks everyday life is less affordable under his watch.
A December Daily Mail poll conducted by JL Partners found that 36 percent of registered voters believe the cost of living is much more unaffordable since he returned to office in January, with another 12 percent ranking it a little more unaffordable, totaling 48 percent overall.
Only 12 percent said it was much more affordable now that the President has taken the economy over from Joe Biden, while 19 percent said it was a little more affordable.
Those numbers come as Trump has pushed back that he's losing on the affordability message after a Democratic sweep of recent off-year and special elections.
The President has told various audiences that affordability complaints are a 'con job' and a 'hoax.'
The Republican was reelected last year after touting his economic prowess, promising to lower prices and curb inflation.
Trump has insisted that the economy is in good shape and that the GOP-backed tax provisions in the 'big, beautiful bill' and tariff income will enrich everyday Americans.
But 44 percent of voters said they believed the economy is currently worsening.
President Donald Trump has been hit with grim economic numbers as new polling from the Daily Mail shows that 48 percent of registered voters think everyday life has become more expensive since the Republican took office in January
That's higher than the 38 percent of voters who said the economy was worsening in the Daily Mail's January poll, conducted ahead of Trump's swearing-in.
And that's in contrast to the 32 percent who believe it's in an upswing, the new survey found.
Another 15 percent said the economy was already bad and wasn't getting worse.
The economic headlines tell a strong story: Gross domestic product grew at a robust 4.3 percent annual rate during the third quarter, driven by solid consumer spending and surging AI investment. The S&P 500 has climbed more than 17 percent this year, while November's unemployment rate of 4.6 percent remains lower than it has been in roughly two-thirds of all months since 1948.