Fox News hands Trump brutal reality check on his biggest economic problem

U.S. President Donald Trump attends an event to announce a deal with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk on to reduce the prices of GLP-1 weight‑loss drugs during an event in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C.

President Donald Trump is receiving a direct warning from Fox News regarding a matter that has become hard for the White House to get rid of: the cost of living.

Lee Hartley Carter, who wrote an opinion piece for the conservative publication, pointed to Fox News' polling, which shows that affordability is the issue that concerns voters most before the November midterm elections. The survey showed that 34 percent of registered voters considered the cost of living to be the most important issue confronting the country, 14 percent mentioned the economy and jobs, 8 percent named immigration and 4 percent referred to the war with Iran.

When it came to household expenses, the figures were just as bad for Trump. Sixty-two percent regarded grocery prices as a major problem, 61 percent said the same about gas prices, 54 percent mentioned housing and 52 percent referred to the cost of health care.

The poll also found that 63 percent of voters believed the Trump administration had made the economy worse; Trump's approval rating on inflation was 24 percent, and his overall approval score in the Fox survey was 39 percent.

Carter claimed that Trump, having drawn on the anger about inflation and prices during his 2024 campaign, is now under similar political pressure from voters. He also stated that he had turned economic frustration into political fuel and that since now he holds the podium he also holds the problem.

The figures for the Fox survey are in line with other more recent polling. A recent survey by Reuters/Ipsos showed that Trump's general approval had dropped to 32 percent, with only 17 percent of U.S. adults approving of the way he had dealt with the cost of living. This poll included 1,277 adults and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

Economic data have also increased the political pressure. In September, consumer confidence in the United States dropped to 81.9, the lowest figure it has been in about 12 and a half years, as stated by the Conference Board. According to Reuters, concerns regarding the labor market, high prices and the rising cost of borrowing had a negative effect on people's sentiment.

Housing has continued to be a source of pressure. The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage went above 7 percent in September, and federal data indicated that U.S. single-family home prices had increased by 2.6 percent in July on a year-on-year basis.

She said that even if the president can attract political attention, it may not be enough if voters remain concerned about household expenses. According to her, the president's problem does not lie in coming up with a new issue, but in persuading Americans that he is paying attention to the one which they already regard as the most important.

The Fox News poll covered the period from September 11 to 14 and was based on a sample of 1,211 registered voters with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

From Your Site Articles