A new Fox News poll delivers a striking assessment of President Donald Trump's economic record: nearly two-thirds of registered voters say his administration has made the economy worse.
According to the survey released September 16, 63 percent of voters say the Trump administration has made the economy worse.
And the dissatisfaction isn't confined to Democrats.
Even about one-quarter of Republican voters told Fox News that the Trump administration has made the economy worse.
The numbers arrive as Americans confront high grocery prices, expensive housing, rising gasoline costs and renewed pressure from energy prices — exactly the kinds of pocketbook issues Trump repeatedly promised to improve.
Nearly Three-Quarters View the Economy Negatively
The 63 percent figure is only one part of a broader picture of economic frustration.
Fox News found that roughly three-quarters of voters have rated economic conditions negatively over the past year.
When voters were asked to identify the country's most important problem without being given a list of choices, 34 percent named the cost of living, while another 14 percent cited the economy and jobs.
Those concerns easily surpassed immigration, which was mentioned by 8 percent.
The message from voters appears straightforward: their finances remain a central concern.
Gas, Groceries, Housing and Healthcare
The poll also asked voters about specific expenses affecting their households.
The results show that large portions of the electorate continue to struggle with basic costs.
62 percent described grocery prices as a major problem.
61 percent said gasoline prices are a major problem.
54 percent said housing costs are a major problem.
And 52 percent said healthcare costs are a major problem.
Those aren't abstract economic indicators.
They're the expenses Americans encounter when they fill their tanks, buy groceries, pay rent or a mortgage, and receive a medical bill.
Voters Are Increasingly Negative About Tariffs
Trump's tariffs aren't escaping scrutiny either.
According to the Fox News poll, 64 percent of voters now say tariffs hurt the U.S. economy, up from 57 percent previously.
Republicans themselves were divided: 41 percent said tariffs help the economy, 36 percent said they hurt it and 21 percent said they make no difference.
That divide is significant because tariffs have been one of the defining components of Trump's economic agenda.
Trump has repeatedly argued that tariffs strengthen American industry and generate revenue for the United States. Critics argue that tariffs can increase costs for American businesses and consumers when importers pass some of those additional expenses along.
The Fox poll doesn't settle that economic debate.
But it does show that most registered voters surveyed currently view tariffs negatively.
Trump's Inflation Rating Falls to 24 Percent
Perhaps one of the most consequential numbers in the poll concerns inflation.
Only 24 percent of voters approve of Trump's handling of inflation, according to Fox News.
Trump's overall job approval was higher, but still underwater: 39 percent approved and 61 percent disapproved.
That gap illustrates how particularly difficult the affordability issue has become for the administration.
Trump campaigned heavily on the cost of living and repeatedly promised Americans lower prices.
Yet voters are telling Fox News that groceries, gasoline, housing and healthcare remain major financial problems.
Oil and Gas Add Another Complication
The timing of the poll is especially significant because energy prices have become another source of economic pressure.
The war with Iran and disruptions affecting Middle Eastern energy markets have contributed to sharply higher oil prices.
Brent crude, which was around $68 a barrel during this period last year, has recently traded above $100.
Higher crude prices can eventually affect much more than gasoline.
Diesel prices influence trucking costs. Jet fuel affects airlines. Petroleum is used throughout manufacturing and transportation.
Those increases can ripple through an economy already struggling with inflation.
Trump does not personally set oil prices, gasoline prices, mortgage rates or grocery prices. Each is determined by complicated domestic and global economic forces.
But presidents routinely ask voters to judge them on the economy they oversee.
And according to this Fox News poll, voters are doing exactly that.
A Remarkable Number From Fox News
There is an additional reason this particular poll is likely to attract attention.
This isn't polling commissioned by a Democratic organization or an anti-Trump advocacy group.
It is the Fox News Poll.
Fox's polling operation uses both a Democratic polling firm, Beacon Research, and a Republican polling firm, Shaw & Company Research. The September survey interviewed 1,211 registered voters nationwide and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.
The result was unambiguous:
63 percent said the Trump administration has made the economy worse.
That number doesn't tell Americans what they should think about Trump.
It tells us what voters themselves told Fox News.
And with the cost of living remaining one of the country's dominant concerns, it is a number the White House cannot easily dismiss.