As inflation surges on the back of rising energy costs from Trump's war with Iran, American voters are delivering the President his harshest verdict yet on the economy.
According to the latest Daily Mail/JL Partners poll, 59 percent of voters now say the economy is getting worse, a three-point jump from last month.
Only 19 percent of those surveyed in May believe the US is improving economically under Trump's leadership. Trump's blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway responsible for one-fifth of all global oil trade, has led to US gas prices skyrocketing to $4.50 per gallon on average.
Iran has likewise moved to shut down the strait by seizing US-backed oil tankers with speedboats and striking them with explosive drones.
Voters are feeling the pinch in their bank accounts, with nearly half, 48 percent, saying recent gas price increases have either somewhat or significantly eaten into their savings. Twenty-six percent report a significant hit.
However, 15 percent say the fuel costs have slightly chipped away at their savings account. Another 22 percent say their savings have been untouched.
A shocking 12 percent of voters say they have no savings to begin with.
Trump faces another looming threat: 18 percent of voters say they will burn through their savings in less than a month if gas prices stay where they are.
According to the latest Daily Mail/JL Partners poll, 59 percent of voters now say the economy is getting worse, a three-point jump from last month
Voters are feeling the pinch in their bank accounts, with nearly half, 48 percent, saying recent gas price increases have either somewhat or significantly eaten into their savings
Add in the 16 percent who expect to run dry within one to three months, and roughly a third of the country is facing a three-month financial cliff tied to the economic fallout from the President's war with Iran.
The political cost of pump prices is landing on Trump's desk as 54 percent of voters hold the President responsible.
American oil and gas companies came in a distant second at 36 percent, followed by the Iranian government at 31 percent.
Trump's overall approval rating holds steady from April at 43 percent, while 57 percent of voters disapprove.
The Daily Mail/JL Partners poll surveyed 1,003 registered voters online from May 15 to 18, with a margin of error of 3.1 percent.
Trump famously stormed back into the Oval Office after the 2024 election in part due to voter frustration with Democrats' handling of the economy and the belief he could ease their financial anxieties.
Now the economy is shaping up to be one of his toughest issues as the GOP heads into the midterm elections.
Trump has revealed he aborted a 'full scale' attack on Iran at the eleventh hour, standing down US forces only after Middle Eastern leaders personally intervened to plead for one last shot at a nuclear deal.
Trump aborted a 'full scale' attack on Iran at the eleventh hour on Monday and told US forces to stand down only after Middle Eastern leaders personally intervened to plead for one last shot at a nuclear deal.
Oil prices remained elevated even hours after Trump signaled yesterday that a peace deal could be imminent. Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell from $112 per barrel to $109 per barrel on the news.
Whether Trump can turn the page by lowering fuel costs by reopening the Strait of Hormuz may decide how Republicans will do in the midterms.