A golden age? Americans don't buy Trump's claim of a booming economy, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Record ID: 2358043

  • Title: A golden age? Americans don't buy Trump's claim of a booming economy, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
  • Date: 27th February 2026
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 26, 2026) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) IPSOS LEAD POLLSTER, ALEC TYSON, SAYING: “What we see in the latest Reuters Ipsos poll is that a majority of Americans think tariffs would do more to increase the cost of living than to lower it. It's an area of concern for Americans, and they don't think tariffs would help what they're see
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  • Keywords: Alec Tyson IPSOS Midterms Primaries credit card rates economy elections healthcare housing rent state of the union tariffs
  • Location: VARIOUS
  • City: VARIOUS
  • Country: US
  • Topics: North America,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA009893626022026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Donald Trump says the U.S. economy is booming and that he has fixed inflation. But most Americans, including many in Trump's Republican Party, don't see things that way, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
    "This is the golden age of America," Trump said at his State of the Union address on Tuesday (February 24). "The roaring economy is roaring like never before."
    The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, completed on Monday, showed 68% of people disagree with a statement that "the U.S. economy is booming," a claim Trump has repeatedly made since returning to office in January 2025.
    Republicans in the survey were sharply divided on how well things are going, a warning sign for the party ahead of the November 3 midterm elections when Republicans will defend majorities in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Some 56% of Republicans thought the economy was booming, compared to 43% who disagreed.
    Americans interviewed in the Reuters/Ipsos poll cited the cost of living as the top issue that will determine how they will vote in November congressional elections. They also rejected assertions that price increases were no longer a problem, a claim made by Trump last month when he said "inflation has been defeated" and that Americans currently see "virtually no inflation."
    Only 16% of respondents in the poll said they agreed with a statement that "there is hardly any inflation in the U.S."
    Eighty-two percent of respondents overall - and the same share of independents - disagreed, as did 72% of Republicans. Democrats, who have become more bearish on the economy since Trump returned to the White House in January, overwhelmingly rejected notions of an economic boom or vanquished inflation.
    Many Americans are unaware of the policies and proposals Trump has put forward to limit increases in the cost of living, the Reuters/Ipsos poll found. Some 44% of poll respondents had never heard of the White House plan unveiled last month to restrict large investors, such as investment firms, from buying single family homes. Forty-eight percent said they had never heard of Trump's proposal to cap credit card interest rates at 10%.
    Americans were considerably more aware of Trump's pre-eminent economic policy push of raising tariffs on imported goods, with 78% saying they had heard at least a little about tariff hikes. Some 54% of respondents - including 69% of Democrats and 42% of Republicans - said they expected the policy to raise the cost of living.
    Many economists still expect economic growth to pick up modestly this year, though few expect a boom.
    The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that Americans are ready to give Trump credit if things get better. If living standards improve, half of those surveyed are ready to give Trump credit, compared to one in 10 who think former president Joe Biden would be responsible. One in four said neither would be responsible.
    The Reuters/Ipsos poll, which was conducted online, surveyed 4,638 U.S. adults nationwide and had a margin of error of two percentage points.
    (Production: Kevin Fogarty, Alexandra Sarabia)
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