'They're punishing Republicans': Experts light up as poll reveals GOP's 'rancid numbers'

A grim new CBS News/YouGov poll showing President Donald Trump bleeding support over his handling of the economy set off a wave of reaction online on Sunday — with pollsters and pundits alike pointing to what one Washington correspondent called "rancid numbers" for Republicans heading into the midterms.

The survey found two-thirds of Americans say Trump's policies are making the economy worse, with most describing themselves as "frustrated" or "angry" about his economic approach. Trump's overall approval has slipped to the lowest point of his second term, and even Republicans are souring on his handling of inflation, where his GOP approval has cratered to 63% — well below his 89% mark on immigration.

NBC News' Washington correspondent Scott MacFarlane summed it up bluntly on X: "Rancid numbers and trajectory in an election year."

GOP pollster Frank Luntz zeroed in on one of the most damning data points, posting that "77% of Americans say their income is not keeping up with inflation."

Another GOP pollster named Sarah Longwell, said, "Trump’s dramatic slide with white non-college voters is evidence that Trump supporters can lose faith in Trump. And there’s no more important lesson for voter’s to learn than electing people like Trump makes their lives materially worse."

Strategist Adam Carlson, in a thread reposted by veteran GOP consultant Mike Madrid, warned Democrats not to misread the moment. "Pretty much every data point shows the same thing — by and large, Americans don't like the Democratic Party or their approach, they're just extremely angry with the Republican Party at the moment," Carlson wrote.

He cautioned that the likely midterm bounce will give Democrats a "false sense of confidence" much like 2022 did. "They're punishing Republicans, the party in power," Carlson wrote. "If we want to build a durable connection with more voters than we currently have in our coalition, we have to have hard conversations."