Politics
Trump Earns ‘F’ Grade on Economy: Poll
By Jake Beardslee · December 19, 2025
President Donald Trump has received an “F” grade for his handling of the economy from the largest share of respondents in a new Emerson College poll, underscoring persistent voter dissatisfaction with economic conditions as the 2026 midterm elections approach.
According to the survey, 36 percent of respondents gave Trump an “F” for his economic performance, the single most common rating. That figure significantly exceeded the share of respondents who awarded the president an “A,” which stood at 22 percent. An additional 11 percent gave him a “D,” while 13 percent graded him a “C” and 19 percent assigned a “B.”
The poll surveyed 1,000 voters between December 14 and 15, 2025, and carries a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
Economic issues remain central to voter concerns. A separate Gallup poll previously found that economic pressures were the primary reason many voters supported Trump in the 2024 presidential election. During the campaign, Trump promised to rein in inflation, but recent polling suggests voters remain dissatisfied with the state of the economy and household finances.
In the Emerson survey, 38 percent of respondents identified the economy as the most important issue facing the country. Threats to democracy, healthcare, and immigration each followed at 14 percent. On affordability, which closely tracks economic sentiment, 38 percent of respondents also gave Trump an “F,” while only 17 percent awarded him an “A.”
The poll found similar discontent in other policy areas. On healthcare, 38 percent of respondents gave Trump an “F,” compared with 14 percent who gave him an “A.” Immigration was an exception, with Trump receiving more positive marks: 37 percent graded him an “A,” narrowly exceeding the 36 percent who gave him an “F.”
Overall job approval numbers also reflected more negative than positive sentiment. Emerson found that 41 percent of respondents approve of Trump’s performance, while 50 percent disapprove, resulting in a net approval rating of minus nine points as he closes out 2025.
Meanwhile, a Fox News poll released in November showed that 76 percent of voters view the economy negatively. That figure exceeds the 70 percent who held a negative view of the economy at the end of former President Joe Biden’s term in 2024.
The White House has pushed back against criticism of the president’s economic record. White House spokesman Kush Desai previously told Newsweek: “President Trump inherited the worst inflation crisis in a generation from Joe Biden’s incompetence, and his Administration has rapidly cooled inflation to a 2.5 percent annualized rate.”
“As the Administration’s supply-side policies of tax cuts, deregulation, and energy abundance continue taking effect, Americans can count on inflation continuing to fall and real wages continuing to rise,” Desai added.
Democrats have seized on the polling as evidence of broader political vulnerability. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement following Trump’s presidential address on Wednesday: “Donald Trump has lost the economy, is losing his mind, and is going to lose the midterms. Tonight, Americans watched him and asked themselves: This is the guy in charge?”
Looking ahead, Trump’s economic approval ratings may continue to fluctuate. During his Wednesday address, the president announced that a new Federal Reserve chair would be named early next year to replace Jerome Powell, a move that could influence the direction of U.S. economic policy.