Inflation and a worsening job market are top of mind for many Americans, even among the president’s MAGA base

Donald Trump is not making America feel great again.

Nine months into the second Trump administration, Americans are feeling pretty crummy. More than half – 53% – believe the economy is worsening, according to the latest survey conducted by Harris for the Guardian. That’s just slightly better than the 58% who thought it was going downhill in late April, when financial markets were still reeling from the president’s “liberation day” tariffs. About 60% think the cost of living has gotten worse since the start of the year; 47% say the job market is worse.

There is a partisan bias to responses, of course. Only 24% of Republicans think the economy is deteriorating, compared with 60% of independents and 67% of Democrats. But there are ominous signs that the bad vibes are seeping into the bloodstream of the MAGA base. Half of rural Americans, who voted for Trump by the stupendous margin of 69% to 29% last November, have become more pessimistic about the state of the economy since the start of the summer.