A poll shows that a majority of Americans blame President Donald Trump for rising prices and higher costs of living as the midterm election approaches.

Surveying 2,140 potential voters nationwide between September 24 and 28 with a margin of error of +/-2.9 percentage points, the poll from the Associated Press (AP)-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that just 17 percent of Americans approve of the president’s handling of higher prices while only 26 percent approve of his handling of the economy overall. Roughly 65 percent of those polled blamed high prices on the president’s policies.

When broken down along party lines, 67 percent of Republicans said higher prices were the result of factors beyond the president’s control. In 2022, the same poll showed that roughly 87 percent of Democrats said that higher prices were beyond President Joe Biden’s control while 44 percent of the broader public believed higher prices were the result of Biden’s policies.

“Trump is also falling short of expectations on the cost of living, with 69 percent of the public saying his handling of the issue has been worse than expected, including 52 percent of Republicans,” noted the poll.

“More than half of adults say the country as a whole, the national economy, and their local economy are worse off since Trump was reelected in 2025,” it continued. “Forty-six percent say they and their families are worse off since the start of Trump’s second administration. Most Americans (73 percent) say the country is heading in the wrong direction, including 92 percent of Democrats and 47 percent of Republicans.”

The poll also showed that the president is faring no better with Americans on his handling of trade and foreign policy, with 68 percent disapproving of his trade negotiations with other countries and 64 percent saying his tariff policy went too far.

The president fared slightly better on the issue of immigration with a 39 percent approval rating.

“About half (48 percent) say his handling of immigration has gone worse than expected, another quarter (23 percent) feel that it has gone better than expected,” the study added.

The poll also showed that 71 percent of Americans disapprove of the president’s handling of Iran, with 69 percent of those polled saying that they do not consider the war worth fighting.

Approval ratings for the president as the midterms loom have ranged from as high as 39 percent to as low as 29 percent. According to Fox News, Republican performance in the coming midterms will hinge on several factors, most specifically inflation and base enthusiasm.