It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy. We think of it as a mini-magazine in your inbox.
HOW AMERICANS FEEL ABOUT THE AFFORDABILITY CRISIS RIGHT NOW
By Matt Loffman
Senior Elections Producer
President Donald Trump’s economic approval ratings have sunk to a new low, as Americans grow more concerned about the cost of living, health care prices and personal finances.
Fifty-seven percent of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling the economy, once viewed as one of the president’s strengths, our latest PBS News/NPR/Marist poll found. Thirty-six percent say the president is doing a good job, the lowest this poll has found across both of his terms in office.
Sagging support for Trump on the economy is likely a major factor dragging down his overall approval rating — 38% of Americans think Trump is doing a good job as president, the lowest percentage since the end of his first term.
Image by Steff Staples/PBS News
“This is a major problem for him,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. “When affordability is so front and center in people’s minds, that’s going to be laid at the doorstep of a chief executive.”
Another key finding: 70% of Americans say the cost of living in their area is unaffordable.
That includes nearly half of Republicans and three-quarters of independents, according to the poll.
Meanwhile, 33% of Americans say the cost of living is affordable, a significant drop from 55 percent who felt that way in June.
“The longer this goes on, the harder it is to get those numbers back,” said Amy Walter, editor of The Cook Political Report. “It becomes sort of a self-fulfilling situation. People don’t feel confident in you, and they think prices just continue to go up.”
Public frustration with the economy also plagued Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, during his presidency. When inflation began to peak in early 2022, Biden’s approval on the economy also dipped to 36% before improving slightly by the end of his term.
Trump capitalized on voters’ economic dissatisfaction during the 2024 presidential election to win back the Oval Office. Now, those same feelings could be potentially perilous for Republicans in next year’s midterm elections.
Will there be brighter days in 2026? Americans don’t see it
Economic concerns are fueling an overall sense of pessimism as 2025 comes to an end.
More than half of Americans (57%) described themselves as having a more negative view of what’s to come in the year ahead, while 43% say they are more optimistic. It’s a reversal from a year ago when the majority felt hopeful about what would come to pass in 2025.
Image by Dan Cooney/PBS News
A year ago, people felt like 2025 might offer some relief with prices of goods stabilizing, Walter said. That didn’t happen, and now people are less inclined to believe it will happen next year.
Instead, the price of goods remains the biggest economic concern for Americans in this latest poll, with 45% listing the issue as the most pressing issue for them — more than double the number who named any of the other options, including housing costs, tariffs, job security or interest rates.
Even as the president has begun to acknowledge issues of affordability and promised to bring prices under control, he has also dismissed concerns as a “con job” perpetrated by Democrats. Some Republicans in Congress have broken publicly with the president over his repeated claims.
“Affordability or the lack of ability of Americans to afford the cost of living is not a Democrat hoax,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., told PBS News Hour in early December. Greene, who will resign her seat in Congress next month, pointed to record credit card debt as one factor in an continuingly unstable economy.
Americans are experiencing it firsthand, Miringoff said, and Trump’s continued denials about how Americans are feeling about the cost of living “creates even a bigger issue” for him and could risk turning gentle wind “into a hurricane.”
More on politics from our coverage:
Watch: New CBS News chief draws backlash by pulling the “60 Minutes” story on El Salvador prison.
One Big Question: Are there signs of the Republican Party splintering? NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter discuss.
A Closer Look: As medication costs rise, decreasing insurance coverage has deadly consequences, PBS Wisconsin reports.
Which word best encapsulates the politics of 2025?
There are four possible candidates this year, as laid out by our own Lisa Desjardins last week. To quickly recap the choices, we have:
Dismantle. To describe the various actions the second Trump administration has taken to break apart the structures of government, from DOGE’s aggressive reshaping of the federal workforce to eroding long-held checks on executive power.
Affordability. A word that got a late-2025 push as economic woes deepen over health care costs, the sticker shock at the grocery store, and the lingering effects of Trump’s tariffs.
Shutdown. 2025 notched the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, ending after 43 days in mid-November. “Shutdown” could also be a vibe, a way to describe how so many feel about politics and policymaking this year.
Immigration. Trump campaigned on mass deportations and he followed through on that promise in 2025. The flow of undocumented immigrants at the border dropped to new lows in decades, while the ramp-up in enforcement ensnared migrants with no criminal records, as well as U.S. citizens and green-card holders. These policies have been politically unpopular, but Trump is set on expanding these efforts in 2026.
Vote for your favorite political word of the year by filling out this form. You can also write in your own suggestion.
We’ll reveal the winning word in next week’s newsletter, as well as share some of our favorite write-in candidates.
THIS WEEK’S TRIVIA QUESTION
The newly rebranded Trump Kennedy Center in the nation’s capital. Photo by Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
By Joshua Barajas
Senior Editor, Digital
President Donald Trump likes putting his face and name on things.
Among his most recent claims? The Kennedy Center. It’s now: The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
Trump’s name was added to the building after the board of trustees, populated by members he mostly handpicked, voted for the rebranding last week. Renaming the center, which Congress designated as a memorial to President John F. Kennedy after his assassination, prompted outrage from Democrats as well as members of the Kennedyfamily.
Our question: A new monumental work from this famous American composer premiered on the opening night of the Kennedy Center in 1971. Who was the renowned composer?
Send your answers to [email protected] or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.
Last week, we asked: Who would Rob Reiner have challenged for the governor’s seat if he moved forward with a 2006 gubernatorial campaign?
The answer: Arnold Schwarzenegger. The former California governor offered his condolences following the tragic deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele. Schwarzenegger said Rob was a “rare talent” and “creative genius” behind some of the greatest films in history and called him a “wonderful friend.”
Congratulations to our winners: Ed Costello and Brenda Burnett!
Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.
PBS News depends on the support of individuals who believe in the importance of independent, balanced and in-depth reporting on the most important domestic and international issues of the day. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to ensure our vital reporting continues to thrive. Thank you.
