A Gallup poll released earlier this week found that 55% of Americans say “their financial situation is getting worse,” a record for the 25-year-old survey. Other measures of economic sentiment find Americans similarly pessimistic — the Michigan Consumer Sentiment index, for instance, is near record lows, and lower than during the Great Recession.
That dissatisfaction is evident in President Trump’s polling: a recent Fox News poll put Trump’s approval on the economy at just 34%, and other surveys are similarly brutal. But it was not inevitable that voters would turn their discontent about the economy on the president. For that, Trump only has himself to blame.
Beginning under Biden and continuing through Trump, Americans’ views of the economy have been much more negative than typically associated with inflation around 3% and unemployment below 5%. To be clear, it’s not as if Americans weren’t struggling despite low unemployment and inflation, before and after the pandemic. But where past economic discontent was easily explained by those metrics, clearly something else has been driving the anger in the last few years.
This is a preview of James Downie’s latest column. Read the full column here.
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When every decision comes from one person, there’s only one person to blame when everything is going wrong. Read more.
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The Supreme Court gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and opened the door to racial gerrymanders across the South and Southwest. Read more.
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The White House ballroom and the Kennedy Center renovation are just two projects hitting obstacles in court and slowing down Trump’s efforts to remake the district. Read more.
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Trump won’t be pleased with the Fed chair’s announcement, but the president has no one to blame but himself for the developments. Read more.
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This week on “Clock It,” Symone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels discuss the Voting Rights Act, James Comey’s indictment, gerrymandering, and more. Plus, they unpack the chaotic moments at last weekend’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner with their MS NOW colleagues Jen Psaki and Ali Vitali who were also in attendance. Listen now and MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts for ad-free listening and bonus content.
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This week on “The Best People,” Nicolle Wallace is joined by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill to discuss the quiet benefits of being underestimated, how states are looking to expand their powers and what battles to choose with President Trump. Listen now and subscribe to MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access, ad-free listening and bonus content.
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