Economic frustrations chip away at Trump’s rural support

Economic frustrations chip away at Trump’s rural support

President Trump’s approval ratings among rural voters are taking a hit as concerns mount about rising living costs across the country.

While about half of respondents in a new KFF/Associated Press poll Wednesday expressed support for the president’s overall job performance, 57 percent said they disapproved of how Trump has handled economic issues.

The survey’s respondents were 54 percent Republican, 32 percent Democrats and 10 percent independent voters.

Their evaluation of Trump’s economic performance reflected a partisan split on this issue, with 96 percent of Democrats opposing the president’s handling of the U.S. economy compared to 27 percent of Republicans.

Nearly 70 percent of all poll participants ranked cost of living as an “extremely important” issue ahead of November’s elections, followed closely behind by concerns about health care and fraud in government programs.

Additionally, 45 percent of Democrat and independent rural voters rated the cost-of-living conditions in their communities as “poor,” compared to 26 percent of Republican voters living in these areas.

Of these Republican voters, supporters of Trump’s MAGA movement were 7 points more likely than non-MAGA supporters to describe living costs as “good.”

The Trump administration has for months fielded public criticism about rising costs tied to U.S.’s ongoing military operations against Iran. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz during this monthslong conflict has driven up energy prices globally and fuel costs domestically.

Welcome to The Hill’s Business & Economy newsletter , I’m Julia Shapero — bringing you the latest on the intersection of Wall Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

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Key business and economic news with implications this week and beyond:

The White House on Wednesday denied a report that it is planning a 90-day ban on diesel exports as Americans struggle with high fuel prices.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) ripped a recent report about an FBI inquiry into an alleged pay-to-play scheme as a “partisan hit job” and “offensive.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a massive meat recall on more than 167,000 pounds of raw pork, beef and goat products that officials said were produced without federal inspection.

Rep. Ashley Hinson, the GOP’s Iowa Senate candidate, called for the House to come back to session “immediately” to tackle soaring diesel prices and suspend the gas tax as voter frustration over the economy amid the war in Iran grows.

Branch out with more stories from the day:

Majority of Americans, Canadians agree Trump’s tariffs were wrong: Poll

A majority of U.S. and Canadian adults in a new survey released Wednesday said they disagreed with President Trump’s decision to hike tariffs on goods imported by Canada.

Business and economic news we’ve flagged from other outlets:

Inflation pressures raise prospect of Fed rate hike on eve of elections ( Reuters )

$5 billion flurry of nearly identical Kalshi trades draws scrutiny ( Wall Street Journal )

It was received wisdom during President Trump’s first term that his hard floor of support sat somewhere around one-third of Americans. Those were the MAGA true believers, the die-hards, the folks who stood in line for hours to attend their fifth Trump rally of the year. That rule of thumb proved … Read more

President Trump’s decision to ban a trio of news outlets from the White House complex last week and revoke their hard press badges appeared to be on thin ice Wednesday after a key hearing where the sides presented their arguments. Read more

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