Overview
- A New York Times review and several national polls find working‑class white voters — defined as white adults without a four‑year college degree — have swung from strong approval of Mr. Trump’s economic stewardship in 2018 to net disapproval in 2026.
- Poll aggregates put the president’s overall approval in the mid‑30s to mid‑40s and show the change among non‑college white voters varying by survey from roughly a 14‑point to more than a 30‑point negative margin compared with 2018.
- Reporters and pollsters point to rising consumer costs as a key driver, noting inflation topping 4 percent and higher prices for gas and everyday goods that are squeezing household budgets.
- Trump advisers have pushed last year’s tax‑cut package as a remedy, but polling and public response indicate that message has so far failed to restore lost economic confidence among these voters.
- Republican and Democratic strategists, including GOP pollster John McLaughlin, say lower turnout or defections by this bloc could cost the party competitive House and Senate races this fall, a development that would reshape the 2026 midterm map.