As much as President Donald Trump wants to insist otherwise, the struggling economy is a vulnerability for him and Republicans leading into the 2026 midterm elections. A new high 67% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy, according to a new AP-NORC poll.

Trump was elected largely because of the economic woes of the Biden administration and the promise of a return to the boom that was the first Trump term before COVID-19. Instead, America has received tariff insanity and more economic struggles as a result. 

Trump’s messaging on the economy has been bad, and poses a real opportunity for Democratic politicians to exploit heading into the midterms.

Trump’s messaging approach on the economy has been disastrous. He has at times proclaimed the economy is great and, at others, blamed the struggles on former President Joe Biden. These are inherently conflicting messages, and a far cry from his campaign promise of a full recovery if voters simply gave him back the power to fix it.

Trump has even

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