'Flashing red light' for GOP as Trump’s popularity tanks to new lows

New polling from CNN this week signaled a "flashing red light" warning to all Republicans seeking reelection in the midterms, as Trump's approval cratered to new lows.

The economy remains the number one issue on the minds of voters for the upcoming midterm elections, with survey after survey indicating that concerns about affordability and the cost of living are still dominating their minds. Despite getting reelected in 2024 to address runaway inflation, Trump has done little to combat costs and has, in fact, done more to actively make things worse with his sweeping tariffs and war with Iran.

In a new poll released Wednesday morning, CNN found these persistent issues coming home to roost, with Trump's overall approval on the economy cratering to a "career low" of 31 percent, with the other 69 percent indicating that they believe things have gotten worse economically on his watch. The outlet described these results as "reflecting growing pessimism among Americans over the issue they consistently describe as the most important."

"Roughly two-thirds of Americans say Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions in the US, up 10 points since January," CNN's report explained. "Just 27 percent say they approve of Trump’s handling of inflation, down from 44 percent one year ago."

In a post to X sharing these new results, CNN's chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju compared them to past polls, showing Trump's approval on the economy crashing from a high of 40 percent in July of last year.

John Bresnahan, the co-founder of Punchbowl News, chimed in with a response to Raju, predicting that these new numbers portend doom for incumbent Republicans looking to cling to their seats.

"This is a flashing red light for every GOP incumbent," Bresnahan posted.

Sarah Longwell, publisher of the anti-Trump conservative site, The Bulwark, and a Republican polling expert, also responded to Raju's post, adding that anxiety about the economy had been dominating her own focus groups with voters, and noted that the GOP is running out of time to fix the problem.

"In every focus group I conduct, most voters’ views on the economy are extremely grim," Longwell posted. "The 'let’s wait and see' we heard so much of in 2025 has evaporated."

"Absolutely horrendous numbers for Republicans on the ballot this fall to deal with," journalist Chris Cillizza added in his own post. "Have to hope this is the bottom. But no signs it is."

"Many people are saying, with tears in their eyes, that he's powerfully and beautifully unifying the country like no one has ever seen before," anti-Trump attorney and congressional candidate George Conway added in his own post, taking a more mocking tone.

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