A new poll indicates that the Democrats’ strategy of making next year’s midterms all about the economy may be a loser for them.
A Harvard CAPS/Harris survey published Monday found that 55 percent of registered voters trust President Donald Trump and the Republican Party to manage the economy, versus 45 percent for Democrats.
So, if given the binary choice of going back to the Biden/Democrat policies of the last presidential term or going forward with Trump, the GOP appears in good shape, and perhaps even landslide territory when it comes to the economy.
NEW December @Harvard / @HarrisXData POLL:
Trump and the GOP lead Democrats by 10 points on economic management, but most voters say inflation remains his toughest battle@Harvard / @HarrisXdata Poll, Dec 2–4, 2025, among 2,204 registered voters, +/- 1.99 pts.
Full poll:… pic.twitter.com/IL6nCnunjb
— HarrisX (@HarrisXdata) December 8, 2025
Where the Democrats were able to make some hay in last month’s off-year elections was on the issue of “affordability.”
The Harvard poll found that 57 percent of voters said that Trump was losing the battle with inflation, and 56 percent believe his tariff policies are harming the economy.
Prices, by and large, have not come down from the record highs reached during Joe Biden’s presidency, but Trump’s team has lowered the growth of inflation to under 3 percent and brought the price of gasoline down, which is a good start. Energy and transportation costs are built into the price of most everything.
Inflation is voters’ top issue at 47 percent, followed by restoring the American values of merit and competence at 13 percent and immigration at 11 percent.
The last time a strong plurality of voters (48 percent) thought the economy was “good” was early 2020 during Trump’s first term.
The good news is that people’s view of the current economy is improving, with 47 percent seeing it as “strong” compared to 43 percent in September.
The approval of the GOP is also up to 46 percent from 44 percent.
Meanwhile, Democrats have a 41 percent approval rating with 59 percent disapproving, up from 57 percent last month.
Additionally, 53 percent believe that Trump is doing a better job than Biden did.
Further, a majority of voters appear ready to give Trump some more time to deal with the economy and other issues, with 60 percent of voters saying Democrats should take a “wait and see” approach instead of opposing everything he does.
Most of Trump’s policies enjoy majority support, with lowering drug prices for Medicare and low-income Americans at 86 percent, followed by deporting illegal immigrants who have committed additional crimes at 80 percent, and eliminating fraud and abuse in government spending at 77 percent.
Even placing reciprocal tariffs on countries that have tariffs on U.S. goods clocks in at 62 percent approval.
Trump made the case for his economic policies Tuesday night in a speech at Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, saying his administration is in the process of fixing what Biden and the Democrats broke.
“I have no higher priority than making America affordable again. They caused the high prices, and we’re bringing them down. It’s a simple message,” he said.
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump is now LASER-FOCUSED on the economy for the 2026 midterms
“I have no higher priority than making America affordable again – THEY caused the high prices, and we’re bringing them down. It’s a simple message!”
Trump will work hard to save the GOP. pic.twitter.com/BpgFp1z5Ti
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 10, 2025
He noted that during the previous administration, Americans’ buying power plummeted as inflation peaked at over 9 percent by the summer of 2022 and remained high into 2023, until the newly elected Republican-led House was able to put the brakes on some of the out-of-control deficit spending of the previous two years.
“Under Biden, real wages plummeted by $3,000 a year. Under Trump, the typical factory worker has seen their wages increase by more than $1,300,” the president said.
Real incomes across the board are on track to be up by $1,000 after the president’s first year in office, according to the White House, making up a third of the loss under Biden.
.@POTUS: “Under Biden, real wages plummeted by $3,000 a year. Under Trump, the typical factory worker has seen their wages increase by more than $1,300… For construction workers, it’s $1,800 up… For miners, their wages went up $3,300.” pic.twitter.com/C8CDUDGhCy
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 10, 2025
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who also spoke at the Mount Pocono event, told a reporter that next year, the tax cuts contained in the Big Beautiful Bill — like no tax on tips, overtime, and Social Security and increases in the standard deduction and child tax credit — will hit Americans’ bank accounts.
“They’re going to be getting very large refunds in the First Quarter, so I think we’re going to see $100 [billion] to $150 billion in refunds, which could mean between $1,000-$2,000 per household. Then, they’ll change their [income tax] withholding, and they’ll get a real increase in their wages,” he said.
.@SecScottBessent on how @POTUS‘ tax cut helps Americans in 2026: “They’re going to be getting very large refunds in the First Quarter… which could be between $1,000-$2,000 per household. Then, they’ll change their withholding, and they’ll get a real increase in their wages.” pic.twitter.com/1odrQoIRtj
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 10, 2025
If Republicans continue to get the word out about the positive impact their economic policies are having on affordability, Democrats will have a hard sell trying to convince Americans — when given the binary choice — to go back to the left’s failed big-government “solutions.”
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