Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, dismissed recent polling on the economy as U.S. regular gasoline averaged $4.37 a gallon Sunday morning. The surveys show broad opposition to President Trump’s handling of the economy, but Hassett said consumer spending data paints a different picture.
Polls and the Administration’s Response
“Ahead of an election cycle, the fact that there’s, you know, possibly partisan pollsters telling us that the people are really really depressed, it’s a classic Democrat move, and I just don’t buy it,” Hassett told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.” He doesn’t accept the negative polling as a reliable account of how consumers feel about the economy.
Instead, Hassett pointed to retail performance and consumer spending. “Because if it were true, if the polls were any value for thinking about what’s going on with consumers, then we should look at the consumption data and say, ‘Geez, yeah, that’s right. People aren’t spending.’ But, in fact, the retailers are doing well.” He set retailers’ performance against survey responses about the economy.
The Quinnipiac University poll found that 62 percent of respondents opposed President Trump’s handling of the economy. That measures opposition to the president’s economic performance; Hassett disputed the broader picture of public sentiment that polls present.
An Associated Press/NORC Research Center survey found that 65 percent said the president’s policies were behind high prices, more than other economic drivers. More than half of respondents also said the national economy and the United States overall had been worse off since the president returned to the White House.
Prices and the Midterm Stakes
Gas prices offer another concrete measure in the debate. AAA data put a gallon of regular gas at an average of $4.37 nationally Sunday morning. The national average stayed above $4 during the Iran war, according to the article.
The war has affected gas prices, and the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the oil industry, is closed amid the conflict. The article identifies the unpopular Iran war and tariffs as political challenges for Republicans ahead of the midterms. Those issues shape the context for polling on prices and the economy; the source gives no separate figures for the effect of tariffs.
Approval and Public Sentiment
Decision Desk HQ’s polling average put Trump’s overall approval rating at 38.5 percent Sunday morning. That’s an overall approval measure, separate from Quinnipiac’s finding on the economy and the AP/NORC finding about high prices.
The reported measures show dissatisfaction on several fronts: 62 percent opposed the president’s handling of the economy, 65 percent attributed high prices to his policies, and more than half said the country and economy were worse off since his return to the White House. Hassett challenged that negative account, pointing to consumer spending and retailers doing well. The disagreement turns on two kinds of evidence: survey responses and the consumption data Hassett cited.