Copyright Newsweek
Americans’ trust in the Republican Party to keep the United States prosperous has dropped to its lowest point in more than a decade, according to a new Gallup poll. Newsweek reached out to a Republican National Committee spokesperson for comment via email. Why It Matters The poll could be a red flag for Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, when they may find themselves on the defensive in critical races across the country. Typically, the party in the White House experiences a backlash following the president’s honeymoon period. Polls have suggested that Americans have soured on Trump even as they remain hesitant to support Democrats. What to Know Gallup has been polling Americans for decades about their trust in both the Democratic and Republican parties to keep the country “prosperous,” and the latest survey released on Tuesday suggests that trust in Republicans has dropped compared to the past few years. The poll comes as Republicans tout Trump’s policies as strengthening the U.S. both on the domestic economic front, arguing policies like his tariffs will improve the economic standing of Americans, and on the international stage, following the peace deal between Israel and Hamas. Democrats, however, have argued that Trump’s policies have weakened America, arguing that his support for countries like Argentina comes at the expense of Americans, and that his legislation will result in worse health care for many across the country. The Gallup poll found that 43 percent of Americans believe Republicans will do a better job of keeping the country prosperous, while 47 percent believe that Democrats will do a better job. This marks a reversal from recent years. In 2024, Americans had more trust in Republicans, as 50 percent believed Republicans were more likely to keep the country prosperous. In 2023, 53 percent said they had more trust in Republicans to keep the country prosperous. That is the lowest point since 2013 when 43 percent of Americans believed Republicans would do a better job of keeping the U.S. prosperous, while 42 percent said they had more trust in Democrats to do so. Since then, only in 2020 did more Americans trust Democrats more to keep the county prosperous. That year, when the country was facing the COVID-19 pandemic, 48 percent said they trusted Democrats more, while 47 percent said they had more trust in Republicans. The latest poll was made public on Tuesday but administered from September 2 to September 16 as part of Gallup’s annual Governance poll. When it comes to economic prosperity, a recent poll from The Economist and YouGov found that 57 percent of Americans believe the economy is getting worse. It found that 18 percent of Americans believe the economy is getting better, while 21 percent say it is staying the same. It surveyed 1,622 people from October 10 to October 13 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent points. But Trump has still had some polling wins—an AP-NORC poll found that Trump’s approval of the conflict between Israel and Hamas had improved following his deal to 47 percent from 37 percent in September. That poll surveyed 1,289 adults from October 9 to October 13, 2025. What People Are Saying Gallup wrote in the polling memo: “Americans’ perceptions of the two major parties today represent a change from the prior four years, during Joe Biden’s presidency, when they expressed strong preferences for Republicans over Democrats for protecting the country and keeping it prosperous.” Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene told Semafor in an interview publish on Monday: “I can’t see into the future, but I see Republicans losing the House if Americans are continuing to go paycheck-to-paycheck. They’ll definitely be going into the midterms looking through the lens of their bank account.” President Donald Trump told reporters earlier in October: "The last administration had the greatest inflation in the history of our country. And now, as you know, groceries are down, it's all down." What Happens Next Whether this polling translates to an electoral victory for Democrats is yet to be seen, but Democrats will likely emphasize issues like prosperity and cost of living on the campaign trail over the coming year.
