'Deserted Trump': Analyst warns new polls are 'quite bad' for MAGA

President Donald Trump's key advantage with voters has eroded in new surveys, as the whole nation begins to fret about the economic path he has put the nation on, Aaron Blake wrote for The Washington Post in an analysis published on Wednesday.

Trump's numbers have been in steady decline ever since he took office — but, Blake wrote, it's his performance on the economy that is a real flashing red light for the Republican Party.

"The big one this week was a Gallup poll that showed, for the first time in at least a quarter-century, a majority of Americans (53 percent) said their personal financial situation was getting worse. That included 28 percent of Republicans," wrote Blake. "Just to underscore, that overall number is higher than it was during three recessions (2001, 2007-2009 and 2020) and during the persistent post-pandemic inflation of the past few years. As troubling for the administration: The poll suggests this isn’t just about stocks."

ALSO READ: 'We know where this leads': How Trump’s crackdown puts Jewish people in peril

Specifically, he noted, Americans who don't own stocks are actually reporting worse negative movement in their financial situation, eight points, than Americans who do, with five.

A big driver of this is Trump's massive new tariff regime, which he has hastily scaled back as markets plunged in response and his own party began whispers of discontent. And now he has even signaled his willingness to negotiate a deal with China, the one country up until now he had been holding firm against giving even temporary tariff relief. But even with the walkbacks, the damage is being done, wrote Blake.

"Two Reuters-Ipsos polls this month have shown Trump’s approval on the economy at just 37 percent, his lowest ever — including during his first term," wrote Blake. "Similarly, a Quinnipiac University poll showed that Americans disapproved of him on the economy by 15 points, 55 percent to 40 percent. That’s his most negative split ever. And an Economist-YouGov poll released Wednesday showed Trump underwater by double digits on 'jobs and the economy' for the first time. Americans disapproved 53 percent to 41 percent."

Additionally, these polls show Trump underwater on inflation specifically, which was part of his electoral message in 2024.

"Americans overwhelmingly think what’s happening is quite bad. And it’s clear the political middle has deserted Trump on this issue," Blake concluded. "None of which is a recipe for a real long-term fight."