President Donald Trump is set to address the nation from the White House on Wednesday night, but his approval hit a record low as he prepares to take a victory lap.
Trump, 79, is set to talk about his accomplishments over the past 11 months during his primetime speech, the White House said. He will also address his forward-looking plans.
But it comes as the president faces record-low approval ratings as his first year back in office wraps up, with a growing number of Americans rejecting his approach heading into the midterm elections.
On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to lower prices, which helped him win back the White House. But Americans remain frustrated with his performance in helping the economy.
Just 36 percent of Americans approve of his handling of the economy, according to the new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. It is his worst rating in the poll to date.
At the same time, his overall approval is just at 38 percent, the lowest mark of his second term so far and his lowest overall rating since early 2018, just before Democrats had a blue wave in that year’s midterms.
It comes as the poll found that many Americans say they’re struggling to make ends meet and are worried about their own and the country’s economic outlook. More said their financial situation has gotten worse rather than better in the past year. The top concern shared by Americans was prices at 45 percent.
The poll claimed 52 percent of Americans believe the U.S. is already in a recession.
The poll, released Wednesday, was the latest in a series that has shown Americans have soured on the GOP president.
At the same time, Congress is grappling with how to address the looming healthcare crisis, with premiums set to skyrocket for millions of Americans at the end of the year after Republican leaders refused to extend the Obamacare subsidies in time.
A group of moderate GOP lawmakers on Wednesday bucked party leadership to side with Democrats to force a vote.
Trump has pushed back on the discontent across the country by giving himself rave marks on the economy despite evidence to the contrary.
He has repeatedly blasted talk of affordability as a “hoax” by the Democrats. But some of Trump’s actions, including his planned address Wednesday night as well as a visit to Pennsylvania and another planned trip to North Carolina later this week, signal the White House is aware he’s underwater.
However, during his visit to Mount Pocono, PA, last week, the president veered completely off track during the rally-style event from what was supposed to be a speech about affordability and the economy.
Delivering remarks from the White House on Wednesday is a much more formal setting, which could help him remain on script, but it remains to be seen.
Convincing Americans that he’s still the man for the job as the unemployment rate ticks up to 4.6 percent, its highest level since 2021, and inflation rose slightly from its year-over-year rate a year ago, is another hurdle entirely.
