Americans trust Kamala Harris over Donald Trump to handle the economy despite most having a poor view of the Biden-Harris administration’s economic policies, a new August poll finds.
By a slim margin, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris leads Republican nominee Donald Trump at 42% compared to 41%, despite nearly half of participants responding that the Biden administration’s policies have “hurt the economy,” according to a poll conducted by the Financial Times and the University of Michigan. Only about one-quarter of voters polled believe the current administration has not hurt the economy, with nearly three-quarters stating a negative view of the current economy under President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris.
When asked to disregard overall opinions of the candidate and who they planned to vote for, 42% of voters said they trusted Harris most to handle the economy, an increase from 35% in July. Trump’s numbers have stayed relatively consistent at around 41% since February while Harris polled at just 31% in the same month, according to the poll.
US President Joe Biden shakes hands with US Vice President Kamala Harris prior to delivering remarks on advancing the safe, secure, and trustworthy development and use of artificial intelligence, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 30, 2023. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Voters still agreed that the economy would fare better under a Trump presidency, with 42% answering that they would be financially “better off” with Trump’s economic policies compared to just 33% that said the same of Harris. More voters said they would be “worse off” if Harris wins the presidency at 38%.
The percentage of people who said they would be better off under Trump dropped from 45% in July after Biden announced his withdrawal from the presidential race, the poll shows.
Six in ten voters said Harris should change her approach to the economy from Biden’s if she wins the election, with many stating inflation as the most necessary change and many even answering “everything.” (RELATED: Americans Mostly Agree Democracy Is On The Ballot In November, But Disagree On The Threat: POLL)
Americans’ confidence in the economy has been declining over the entirety of the Biden-Harris administration, with mounting fears over a recession following low job growth and stubborn inflation plaguing the nation. May polling found that 56% of Americans believe the country is currently in a recession.
The poll was conducted Aug. 1 through Aug. 5 and sampled 1,001 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points.
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