Nearly half of registered voters in the United States believe the country is worse off than it was a year ago, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll published on Thursday. The findings come as President Donald Trump’s approval ratings slide in key swing states ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The poll reveals that 51% of respondents say life is less affordable than at the start of 2025, undermining Trump’s dismissal of affordability concerns as a “Democrat hoax.” Only 32% of voters feel the country is better off, while 19% report no change. A strong majority, 64%, say Trump has mishandled efforts to manage the cost of living.
Separate tracking polls from The Economist and YouGov show Trump’s approval ratings sinking in battleground states. In Georgia, where Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff faces re-election, Trump’s net approval is -18.6 percentage points. In Maine, Republican Senator Susan Collins’s seat is at risk with Trump at -18.4. Even in traditionally red Alaska, Trump has a net negative rating, boosting hopes for Democrat Mary Peltola’s challenge to Senator Dan Sullivan.
The only issue on which Trump received lower marks than affordability was his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Despite his 2024 campaign promises to rapidly drive down prices and make America affordable again, Trump now oscillates between blaming Democrats and insisting economic conditions are strong. At a December rally in North Carolina, he claimed drug prices were falling at unprecedented levels, yet drugmakers hiked prices on hundreds of medicines last year, and prescription drug spending is projected to rise.
Inflation and cost-of-living remain the top motivators for voters, cited by over four in ten Americans. The Times poll also found that more than four in ten independent voters believe Trump is on track to become one of the worst presidents in history, while only 12% see him as potentially great. Independents remain largely undecided about the midterms, but could seek a course correction at the ballot box.
