57% Of Voters Say Trump Is Losing The Battle Over Inflation, Harvard/Harris Poll Finds

12:30 AM, 12/09/2025

More than half of voters (57%) say President Trump is losing the fight against inflation, including 21% of Republicans. A majority also believes his tariff policies are hurting the economy and that the economy is contracting under his administration. Voters are split 50-50 on whether the economy is better or worse than under Biden, while 55% trust Republicans more to manage the economy. The poll surveyed 2,204 registered voters Dec. 2–4 and has a margin of error of ±1.99 points.

More than half of U.S. voters — 57% — say President Donald Trump is losing the fight against inflation, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll released Monday. That share includes 21% of Republicans and represents a slight decline from 60% who expressed the same view in last month’s poll.

Respondents also voiced concerns about the administration’s trade approach: 56% said Mr. Trump’s controversial tariff policies are harming the economy, and 57% said they view the economy as shrinking under the current administration.

Inflation and affordability topped voter priorities, cited as the most important issue by 48% of Democrats and 41% of Republicans.

“This is the biggest issue facing the presidency — even though Trump did not create the problem — he now owns the economy and people still feel squeezed and believe it should be the highest priority,” said Mark Penn, co-director of the poll.

Concerns about high prices and the cost of living — highlighted during the recent record-long government shutdown — have shaped voter opinion. Mr. Trump has pushed back on Democratic criticism, calling their messaging a “con job” and continuing to blame his predecessor, former President Joe Biden.

On Truth Social over the weekend, Mr. Trump wrote: “Biden caused the AFFORDABILITY CRISIS, I’M FIXING IT, along with everything else!”

The poll found voters split evenly — 50-50 — on whether the economy is better or worse than it was under President Biden, and equally divided on whether Mr. Trump’s policies are strengthening or weakening the U.S. economy.

Despite concerns about inflation, 55% of voters said they trust the Trump administration and Republicans more than Democrats in Congress to manage the economy; that trust level rose six points from November. Mr. Trump’s overall approval rating in the survey ticked up to 47% after dipping to 44% last month.

Methodology: The Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll was conducted Dec. 2–4 among 2,204 registered voters by The Harris Poll and HarrisX, in partnership with the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University. The online sample was drawn from the Harris Panel and weighted to match known demographics. The poll’s margin of error is ±1.99 percentage points.