Now that President Joe Biden is out of the race and Vice President Kamala Harris has replaced him as the Democratic nominee, Democrats appear to have seen an increase in enthusiasm and excitement about the race. They're just thrilled that someone other than Biden is going up against former and potentially future President Donald Trump. While Harris may have an edge during what could be a honeymoon period of sorts, Trump still looks to have the edge on key issues, at least until a poll came out claiming otherwise.
A poll was recently released by the Financial Times and the University of Michigan showing that by 42-41 percent, voters trust Harris over Trump when asked "who do you trust most to handle the economy?" Ten percent say they "trust neither."
In July's poll, voters said by 41-35 percent they trusted Trump more over Biden, and 41-37 percent in June. Even such a narrow lead is suspect, though, given that polls, have shown Trump up by double digits on who voters trust more on the economy.
As Axios highlighted about the poll findings:
Why it matters: The share of voters who say they don't trust either Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris fell by nearly half — another example of the disappearing "double hater."
- The survey "marks a sharp change in voter sentiment following President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the White House race" last month, according to the FT.
What they're saying: "The fact that voters were more positive on [Vice President] Harris than on Biden ... says as much about how badly Biden was doing as it does about how well Harris is doing," Michigan professor Erik Gordon told the paper.
To say Harris is doing "well" is rather relative, though, especially since she only just recently became the nominee, though without winning a single primary. The American people also likely don't know enough about her and her far-left policies, likely by design given how she has been avoiding the press.
This finding makes even less sense given that the poll found by 42-40 percent, voters say they'll be "better off" as opposed to "worse off" if Trump wins in 2024 when it comes to the effect his economic policies will have on them financially. It's worth pointing out that other polls have also shown voters believe they will be better off financially if Trump wins, and by even better margins. For Harris, voters believe they will be "worse off," and by 38-33 percent.
Last week, CBS News/YouGov America released a poll showing that Harris had a slight lead over Trump at the national level, 50-49 percent. The poll also showed, though, that Trump was leading Harris by double digits when it comes to who they'd be financially better off under, 25-45 percent.
"If you care about your paycheck, you go with Trump. That's what you do," CNBC's Jim Cramer also pointed out last week.
CBS POLL:
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 4, 2024
— Nearly half of voters say President Trump's policies will make them "financially better off" (compared to just a quarter for Kamala)
— Three-quarters say illegal border crossings will go down if President Trump wins (just 18% say they'll go down if Kamala wins) pic.twitter.com/eKMeopuHNw
NEW: CNBC's Jim Cramer says if you care about your paycheck, you should vote for Donald Trump.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 5, 2024
"If you care about your paycheck, you go with Trump. That's what you do."
Cramer then got into a back-and-forth conversation with host David Faber.
Cramer: If you care about your… pic.twitter.com/Fnjgnp5aQf
The FT poll asked other questions about the economy as well. When framed as to if voters are "thriving" versus "surviving" when it comes to their "current financial situation," the numbers are at 45-55 percent. Among the options listed, 30 percent say they "just meet expenses," and another 25 percent say they "have trouble meeting expenses." Just 15 percent say they "live comfortably."
The economy is also viewed negatively by 73 percent of voters, while 25 percent view it positively. A plurality, at 45 percent, say economic conditions are "not so good," while the next highest response chosen is the 28 percent who said economic conditions are "poor."
Fifty percent of voters also say that they are financially worse off since Biden became president, and a plurality, at 49 percent, say they believe Biden's policies have "hurt the economy." This includes 34 percent who say he "hurt the economy a lot."
Voters were asked to choose three of the following of a handful of choices what was "the biggest sources of financial stress" for them personally over the past month. Seventy-eight percent chose "price increases," the only choice where a majority said it was their top source of such stress.
They were also asked which of the three following did they think were "most responsible for price increases over the last 6 months," a majority (59 percent) said "large corporations taking advantage of inflation." However, the next highest option selected was "Democratic policies," which came in at 39 percent. Thirty-five percent said "lasting impact of COVID-19."
Under the Biden-Harris administration, Americans have seen some of the highest inflation levels of the past several presidents. Meanwhile, they experienced some of the lowest under Trump.
The current administration, including the president himself, has engaged in gaslighting about such concerns, which has included talking about how well the economy is supposedly doing, and even blaming the Trump administration, which had been affected by a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. It's worth reminding that other polls have also shown respondents give Trump high marks for handling the economy.
KJP shifts to blaming Trump as she’s repeatedly pressed on the economy during today’s press briefing. pic.twitter.com/VEvfO3XrXA
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 6, 2024
When voters were given a dozen issues to choose from, "economic issues, like jobs and the cost of living," was the only one where a majority of voters said it was one of the "most important to you in deciding your vote for President." Respondents could select up to three, with 53 percent choosing the "economic issues" option. The next highest issues "immigration and border security," which is another top issue for Trump, and "the future of Social Security and Medicare," with 32 percent of voters each saying those were top issues.
Now that she's the one facing Trump in November, Harris looks to be banking on voters forgetting she's currently the sitting vice president. She's said that "it will be a day one priority to fight to bring down prices," despite how she can be working to do so right now. She's also stolen Trump's policy idea of no tax on tips for the service industry. Meanwhile, she has yet to officially launch a policy platform, though that is expected to come.
Kamala Harris: “It will be a day one priority to fight to bring down prices.“
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) August 9, 2024
So what have you been doing for the past four years?pic.twitter.com/kqJYD5i52Z
Can’t wait to hear more of Kamala Harris talking about her thoughts on Economic policy - and what she will do to bring down the prices she drove up.pic.twitter.com/EE8sGMknWG https://t.co/CvicYA2ppn
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) August 12, 2024
The poll also included a word bubble, with "inflation" showing up as the clear winner when it comes to "what economic policies would be most important for Kamala Harris to change" from Biden's policies. But again, Harris is already in office.
When it comes to another perspective of why there is reason to be skeptical of such a poll, Cygnal's Brent Buchanan made it the focus of his Monday email of daily takes, as he pointed out how "the wildly wrong polls are starting to creep into this election."
Citing a headline about the poll from the Financial Review, Buchanan said it was "Just wrong."
"In a poll we have coming out this week, Trump holds trust on economy/jobs 49-44 and on inflation/cost of living 49-42. If Harris actually held trust on these issues, she’d be up by 6-7 points, and she’ll never be there," he offered, teasing the release of a Cygnal poll.
In a statement for Townhall, Buchanan doubled down even further, including why it is that Harris looks to be leading in so many polls. "Look at how many polls coming out are from Democrat-leaning outfits," he pointed out. "It's 2-3x than before the Democrats swapped out their elected nominee for Kamala Harris. There's definitely a concerted push to make it look like Kamala has taken a lead. On the crap poll showing Harris ahead on economic trust, we know for a fact that's wrong," he added, reiterating the findings from Cygnal's upcoming poll.
The FT poll was conducted August 1-5 with 1,001 voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
As one of his first posts back on X, Trump posted earlier on Monday about how "Our economy is shattered," with a call to "Make the American Dream AFFORDABLE again."
There's also been plenty of trends over X about the economy and prices, including to do with tax-free tips, as well as the rise in grocery prices.
Are you better off now than you were when I was president?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2024
Our economy is shattered. Our border has been erased. We're a nation in decline.
Make the American Dream AFFORDABLE again. Make America SAFE again. Make America GREAT Again!
