Americans Think Trump Is Performing Worse Than Biden On Key Issue

Americans believe that President Donald Trump is performing worse on the economy than former President Joe Biden, according to a new poll.

The Harvard CAPS/Harris survey showed that 53 percent of respondents believe the economy is now worse than it was under Biden, while 47 percent believe it is better. The poll also found that 62 percent blame Trump for the current state of the economy, while 38 percent blame the Biden administration.

White House spokesman Kush Desai told Newsweek: "President Trump has always been clear about short-term disruptions as a result of Operation Epic Fury. America’s long-term economic trajectory, however, remains solid with the administration focused on implementing the president’s proven economic agenda of tax cuts, deregulation and energy abundance. Once Operation Epic Fury’s objectives have been achieved and these short-term disruptions are behind us, Americans rest assured that the president’s agenda will unleash the historic job, wage and economic growth they saw during the first Trump administration."Why It Matters
The economy is of critical importance to many American voters. A Gallup poll from October 2024 showed that the economy was the most important issue that U.S. voters considered when deciding who to vote for in the presidential election.Trump‍‍`s poor performance on the economy in recent polls risks hurting the Republican Party in the upcoming midterm elections.What To Know
The Harvard CAPS/Harris poll found that Trump‍‍`s approval rating on the economy declined from 49 percent in February 2025 to 40 percent in March 2026. It also fell five points from February 2026.

The survey also revealed that 32 percent believe the economy is on the right track, down six percentage points from February; 59 percent said they believe the economy is shrinking; and 41 percent said it is growing.

Meanwhile, the findings showed that 51 percent believe Trump is doing a worse job than Biden in general, and 49 percent believe he is doing a better job. The poll was conducted on 2,009 registered voters between March 25 and 26. It had a margin of error of +/- 1.99 percentage points.

In another poll by Reuters/Ipsos, only 29 percent of Americans approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, marking the lowest economic approval rating across either of his presidential terms.

The polling comes amid concerns that the U.S.‍‍`s war with Iran will worsen economic outcomes. Experts and financial institutions have warned that chances are rising of the U.S. sliding toward a recession as a result of the war.

Meanwhile, Nate Silver, a statistician and political analyst, said on Tuesday that Trump‍‍`s net approval rating had declined by "about 5 points over the past several weeks," adding that "gas prices are a big factor." On Monday, the U.S. national average price of gas reached $4 a gallon for the first time in three years, new price tracking data revealed. What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump said last week regarding the Iran war: "When this is over, oil prices are going to go down very, very rapidly. So is inflation. So is everything else.

"But frankly, much more important than short-term or even long-term oil prices: you cannot let the most violent, vicious country in the last 50 years have a nuclear weapon."

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Newsweek previously: "The ultimate poll was November 5, 2024, when nearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump to deliver on his popular and common-sense agenda." He added: "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. The president has already made historic progress, not only in America, but around the world, and this is just the beginning as his agenda continues taking effect."

Mark Penn, co-director of the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, said in a statement: "Trump shows a small decline given the twin events of the Iran war and the DHS shutdown, and the congressional race remains tight. Gas price increases are likely behind the decline, but such declines are likely temporary if the war goes as planned. Support for the war is split along partisan lines but there are no questions in voter minds about the evil intentions of Iranian regime."