President Donald Trump's approval rating languishes at 39% as three-quarters of Americans report financial hardship from inflation, according to a Fox News poll released Wednesday that shows Democrats holding their strongest generic ballot advantage in three decades.
The survey found 53% of voters would back the Democratic candidate in their House district compared with 46% for Republicans—a 7-point lead marking the highest percentage either party has received on the generic House ballot in Fox News polling since 1996. Democrats were up by 5 points in April.
Economic Anxiety Fuels Democratic Advantage
The numbers reveal a nation struggling under economic strain. Three-quarters of voters rated the economy negatively, a figure that's held steady for six months. Another 75% said inflation has caused them financial hardship, with 34% reporting "serious" hardship—up from 26% last year.
Trump received his worst marks on the economy itself, with just 33% approving and 67% disapproving of his handling. On inflation specifically, only 27% approved while 73% disapproved. His approval on immigration stood at 42%-57%, and on Iran at 34%-66%.
The president's overall 39% approval hasn't budged for three months and sits just one point above his record low of 38% from October 2017. That's slightly below former President Barack Obama's 42% at the same point in his second term in July 2014.
Enthusiasm Gap Widens
More Democrats are motivated to vote than Republicans, with 68% of Democrats saying they're extremely motivated to vote in November compared with 57% of Republicans. The GOP faces an internal enthusiasm divide: MAGA Republicans report 66% extreme motivation, while non-MAGA Republicans lag at 41%—a 25-point gap that suggests fractures within the party coalition.
Fifty-four percent of voters expected the economy to worsen in the coming year. Only Republicans expressed optimism at 71%, while Democrats at 75% and independents at 64% anticipated further decline.
System-Wide Discontent
Voters expressed deep dissatisfaction with both parties and the political system itself. Some 70% said the Republican Party is closely tied to elite interests, while 55% said the same about Democrats. Many Democrats, 48%, and Republicans, 41%, said they feel betrayed by their party, mainly for selling out to special interests.
By 2-to-1, voters said it's more important to elect new people than keep those with experience. Overall, 19% said they want revolutionary change in the nation's government, while 38% want substantial change and 23% want dramatic change. Nearly 7 in 10 voters disapproved of both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, and 85% supported a mandatory retirement age for members of Congress.
Shifting Economic Views
The poll found that 50% of voters had a positive view of capitalism, down from 57% in 2019, while 30% viewed socialism favorably, up from 27% last year. The Democratic Socialists of America were viewed positively by 31%.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders had a 45% favorable rating, higher than Vice President JD Vance at 41%, Trump at 38%, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 35%. Overall, 44% had a favorable view of Israel, down from 58% a decade ago.
The poll was conducted July 17-20 under the direction of Beacon Research and Shaw & Company Research, with interviews with 1,003 registered voters. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Why This Matters:
The convergence of economic distress and political discontent creates conditions that historically favor Democratic candidates who campaign on stronger social safety nets and economic intervention. With 34% of Americans reporting serious financial hardship from inflation and only 27% approving of Trump's handling of the issue, voters appear to be seeking alternatives to current economic policy. The Democratic advantage on the generic ballot, at its highest level in 30 years of Fox News polling, suggests that economic pain is translating into support for candidates who promise greater government action on inflation, wages, and cost of living. The enthusiasm gap between Democrats and Republicans, combined with internal GOP divisions between MAGA and non-MAGA voters, could shape not just November's outcomes but the broader debate over whether market-driven policies or stronger public intervention better address working families' economic struggles. The declining favorability of capitalism itself, down 7 points since 2019, reflects a generation questioning whether the current economic system serves their interests.