A new survey shows that neither former President Trump nor Vice President Kamala Harris won over a majority of voters with their economic proposals. The results also show that a majority of voters want Harris to abandon her boss’s policies entirely.
A poll from August financial times The University of Michigan Ross School of Business assessed how 1,001 registered voters feel about the two former presidential candidates and how each will handle the economy in the next term. Among respondents, 45% identified themselves as or “leaning” as a Democrat, while 41% identified themselves as or “leaned” as a Republican.
this financial times It was pointed out in the report that Harris has made significant progress over President Biden. Lauren Fedor and Eva Shaw write: “A new poll shows that more Americans trust Kamala Harris to handle the U.S. economy than Donald Trump, a sign that President Joe Biden Voter sentiment changed dramatically after he dropped out of the race for the White House.
Forty-one percent of voters surveyed preferred Trump as a steward of the economy, the same number as in June and July and little changed since February. But 42% chose Harris, a clear advantage over Biden, who won just over 35% of respondents in the July poll. (Biden dropped out of the race later that month.)
Notably, neither major party candidate received anything close to a majority, with 10% of respondents saying they did not trust either candidate. The results also show that voters aren’t even particularly confident in Harris’ economic vision: 42% said a Trump victory in November would make them “better off” financially, while just 33% expressed disapproval of Harris. Same view.
But perhaps the most shocking result is that 6 in 10 voters surveyed said Harris should do away with Bidenomics entirely, including 38% who said she should “take a completely different approach than Joe Biden economic policy,” while another 23 percent said she should “make major changes.” change. “
Erik Gordon said: “This poll is good news for previously anxious Democrats, but their worries are not over yet because voters still believe that a Trump presidency will leave them alone. Much better, and most voters consider their interests first and major policy issues second. financial times.
No wonder: Consumer prices have been rising since Biden took office in January 2021; at that time, monthly expenses for an average family of four had increased by more than $1,000, and mortgage rates were more than twice as high. This is largely due to inflation, which has dogged Biden for much of his presidency and will end in July 2022, although it has cooled in recent months. reached a 40-year high of 9.1% in March.
While inflation is complex and has many causes, government spending is a big driver, and debt held by the public increased during the first three and five months of Biden’s term, according to the Inflation Council. $6 trillion.
To be fair, Trump’s situation isn’t much better: While Biden added $6 trillion to the debt held by the public, Trump added another $5.9 trillion. The Republican platform is filled with policies like raising tariffs and rejecting ballooning benefits like Social Security and Medicare that will only fuel inflation and drive up deficits further.
Still, Harris is unlikely to disavow Biden’s policies. “They’ve been consistent for the past three and a half years. no daylight“She will build on the success they’ve had,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday of potential policy differences between Biden and Harris.
Yet Harris may be able to escape the stigma of Bidenomics unscathed: Morning consultation A poll conducted in late July, days after Biden dropped out of the race, found that voters did not blame the vice president for inflation as much as they blamed Biden, giving Harris an 8-point advantage over her boss. .
Just as polls show Americans largely support free trade, a similar proportion of voters want Harris to abandon the current administration’s inflationary economic policies and pursue different policies. Unfortunately, no matter which major party candidate wins in November, America’s fiscal situation is unlikely to return to normal anytime soon.
