Donald Trump’s Approval Rating on Economy Shrinks with Women - Newsweek
President Donald Trump's approval rating on the economy among women has dropped to a new low, according to a new CBS News Battleground Tracker poll showing just over a quarter of women approve of the president’s handling of the economy.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House via email for comment.
The poll, conducted September 8-11 among 2,460 U.S. adults, comes as Trump and Republican candidates seek to maintain congressional majorities in the November midterms, with the president increasingly making himself the focal point of campaigns. Speaking to supporters at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas last week, Trump said, “Pretend that I’m on the ballot. I’m on the ballot, just one more time.”
The economy remains one of the most important issues for U.S. voters, and Trump has frequently argued that his administration's policies have improved financial conditions for Americans.
The drop in support among women could pose a key challenge for Trump and the GOP. Women have consistently been one of the president’s weakest demographic groups and tend to skew Democrat. Pew Research Center's latest National Public Opinion Reference Survey found that 52 percent of women leaned Democrat, compared to 38 percent who leaned Republican.
Declining confidence in his management of the economy and inflation could present challenges for Republicans in competitive House and Senate races. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 33 seats in the Senate will be up for grabs in November, and the course of Trump’s presidency could be altered if Republicans lose their majorities in either chamber.
The new CBS survey found that just 27 percent of female respondents approve of Trump's handling of the economy, down five percentage points from a CBS News poll conducted in July. Approval of his handling of inflation was even lower, at 22 percent, down three points.
That gap could prove politically significant because economic management has traditionally been viewed as one of Trump's strongest issues with voters.
The findings come against a backdrop of broader voter pessimism about the economy's health, amid fears over affordability and the knock-on effects of the war in Iran.
The president’s overall approval on the economy recently fell to a new low, according to a poll from the Financial Times and Focaldata, which revealed that only 33 percent of registered voters approved of Trump’s presidential performance—a three-point drop from a month prior and the lowest level since that polling series began back in May.
The poll conducted found Trump's broader approval ratings among women had continued to slide since July.
Among female respondents, 33 percent approved of Trump's overall job performance while 67 percent disapproved. In the previous CBS News survey conducted July 22-24, overall approval among women stood at 36 percent.
CNN’s latest Poll of Polls put Trump at 35 percent approval and 63 percent disapproval.
That average, taken on September 1, combined six national surveys of adults conducted between July 22 and August 31, including polls from Reuters/Ipsos, UMass Amherst/YouGov, Strength in Numbers/Verasight, Marquette Law School, AP-NORC and CNN.
The average on RealClearPolling is slightly higher; its August 16 to September 8 average showed a 39.5 percent approval rating of the president, which is four and a half points higher than CNN’s average, but still puts the president well underwater, with the midterms now less than two months away.
The White House has previously dismissed the president’s low approval rating polls. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle previously told Newsweek in response to inquiries about polling that the almost 80 million Americans who voted for Trump gave him a mandate to "deliver on his popular and commonsense agenda."
"No other President in history has accomplished more for the American people than President Trump, who is working tirelessly to create jobs, cool inflation, increase housing affordability, and more," Ingle said.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Cannon and Sam Wilson.
