Growing discontent among white, blue-collar voters over Donald Trump’s failure to deliver on key economic promises is threatening Republican prospects in the upcoming midterm elections, analysts warn. A recent CBS News poll found that 54% of white voters without a college degree now disapprove of Trump’s performance, up from 32% in February 2025, marking a sharp decline in support from a demographic that was crucial to his 2016 and 2024 victories.
Blue-collar voters, who backed Trump on promises to lower prices, boost manufacturing jobs, and avoid foreign wars, have seen inflation rise to 4.2%—the highest in three years—while factory jobs have fallen by 68,000 since he returned to office. His war against Iran has further angered many, pushing up gasoline and grocery prices. Peggy Liff, a 57-year-old Ohio welder who voted for Trump three times, told the Washington Post: “He’s concentrating on other things, like overseas, Iran. He says he’s doing it for us, but I don’t see where that’s happening.”
The erosion of support extends beyond white working-class voters, with many African American, Hispanic, and Asian American workers also upset over the Iran war and rising costs—tomato prices up 32%, coffee up 17%, and beef up 13% over the past year. Trump’s tariffs have further raised prices on furniture, coffee, and fresh fruit, while his tax cuts for the ultra-rich and cuts to Medicaid and food assistance have left many feeling short-changed.
Democrats see an opportunity to win back working-class voters in key states like Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas by tapping into this disenchantment. A Fox News poll shows Trump’s approval among white voters at just 33%, as blue-collar Americans grow weary of his focus on billionaire allies, union weakening, and federal cuts overseen by Elon Musk. With wages falling and wealth inequality soaring, the blue-collar base that once propelled Trump now appears increasingly disillusioned.
