Trump Is Losing Ground With White Working-Class Voters on the Economy

You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.Trump’s Big New Vulnerability in 2026: Blue-Collar White VotersA review of polling data shows an extraordinary swing among white working-class voters on the president’s handling of the economy.Among blue-collar white voters, President Trump’s approval rating on the cost of living stood at just 36 percent in a New York Times survey.Credit...Haiyun Jiang/The New York TimesTrump’s Big New Vulnerability in 2026: Blue-Collar White VotersA review of polling data shows an extraordinary swing among white working-class voters on the president’s handling of the economy.Among blue-collar white voters, President Trump’s approval rating on the cost of living stood at just 36 percent in a New York Times survey.Credit...Haiyun Jiang/The New York TimesListen · 12:44 min June 13, 2026The last time President Trump faced a midterm election, in 2018, congressional Republicans were dragged down by his unpopularity and lost more than three dozen House seats.But even in defeat, the bottom never truly fell out for the Republicans that year — the party actually gained ground in the Senate — as working-class white voters largely kept their faith in Mr.

Trump’s economic know-how.Today, that once-deep reservoir of good will has largely evaporated.Blue-collar white voters are, for the first time, seriously doubting Mr. Trump’s handling of the economy. A review of polling by The New York Times shows an extraordinary swing on that issue among white voters without college degrees between his first midterm election and now.Then, working-class white voters approved of his management of the economy by margins of 30 percentage points or even more.

Now, recent polls show them disapproving by anywhere from 14 to more than 30 points. Source: CNN surveys conducted in March 2017, Nov. 2018, March 2025 and April 30 to May 4, 2026. Karl Russell/The New York Times Mr. Trump’s approval on the economy has dropped across practically every group.

But his cratering support among a loyal demographic that has served as the foundation of his political coalition for a decade has the potential to be among the most consequential developments of 2026, according to interviews with strategists in both parties who are involved in the midterms.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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