How independent voters assess US President Donald Trump’s performance on economic issues and the cost of living has become a major focus in gauging the country’s political climate. CNN’s analytical reports indicate that prices, inflation and fuel costs have placed considerable pressure on public assessments of the administration’s performance.
According to figures cited in the report in question, “pure independents” have markedly distanced themselves from Trump in their assessment of the economy. Compared with previous periods, the shift in this group’s position has been described as particularly sharp on some indicators. The data put Trump’s net approval rating on the economy among this group at minus 77.
Gas prices have also emerged as a prominent weakness in assessments of the administration’s performance. CNN has said in recent reports that 80% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of gas prices, describing this as the highest recorded level for a president on this measure in the network’s data.
Among independent voters, dissatisfaction with gas prices stands at 85%. Even among Republicans, Trump’s core support base, 52% have disapproved of his performance on the issue.
The economic pressure on low-income households is also prominent in these assessments. CNN has reported that 86% of Americans earning less than $50,000 are dissatisfied with Trump’s handling of gas prices. Among independents in the same income group, the figure rises to 90%.
Meanwhile, other data released by CNN in recent months show that only 8% of independents believed Trump had left them financially better off, while 64% said their financial situation had worsened.
These figures have been released as inflation and the economy continue to be identified as among the leading concerns of independent voters in the United States. In one recent CNN report, inflation ranked first among independents’ concerns at 38%, followed by the economy at 14%.
