‘It’s Pretty Rough’: Fox News Finds MAGA Voters Upset With Trump Over Economy
Key Takeaways
- •Supporters of President Trump voiced economic frustration at a rally in Durant, Oklahoma, complaining about $4-per-gallon gas and unfulfilled promises on lower interest rates and rent.
- •A new AP-NORC poll found only 26 percent of U.S. adults approve of Trump's handling of the economy overall, while just 17 percent approve of his handling of the cost of living.
- •Sixty-five percent of U.S. adults attribute persistently high costs to Trump's own policies rather than outside factors, reflecting dissatisfaction with his tariff agenda.
- •A Republican pollster said Trump's voters have become disillusioned by his perceived lack of concern for everyday Americans' problems, leaving the GOP vulnerable even in reliably conservative districts and states.
- •Economic discontent is shaping the November midterm elections, in which every U.S. House seat and roughly one-third of Senate seats will be on the ballot.

A Fox News report aired Sunday revealed that President Donald Trump's own voters are "upset" with his performance, with supporters voicing frustration over the economy at a rally in Durant, Oklahoma — a city of about 18,000 near the Texas border in a state Trump carried by wide margins in all three of his presidential campaigns. The famously conservative network spoke with attendees, several of whom offered blunt assessments of their financial situation.
"We're pretty upset with the way the economy has been ran," said one young man. "We're upset that I'm paying $4 a gallon for gas for sure. We're definitely upset with that. We were promised lower interest rates, and we haven't seen it. We were promised lower rent, and we haven't seen it."
"It's pretty rough," admitted an older man wearing a Trump hat. "I've had to cut back on my driving and a little bit on my groceries." Another attendee said, "That will definitely affect voters. I'd say the economy is on a roller coaster ride right now."
The report comes as a new poll shows approval of Trump's handling of the economy has fallen to an all-time low. As PBS explains, "Americans are deeply frustrated with President Donald Trump's handling of the economy and rising prices, with most panning his performance and blaming his policies as higher costs threaten his party's chances in November."
The PBS report continued: "A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that only 17 percent of U.S. adults approve of the Republican president's handling of the cost of living. Just 26 percent approve of his handling of the economy overall, marking a new low. A majority, 65 percent, of U.S. adults now blame Trump's policies for persistently high costs more than factors outside of his control, signaling growing weariness over his aggressive use of tariffs and continued unhappiness with the war with Iran."
The AP-NORC Center is a nonpartisan research partnership between The Associated Press and NORC, an independent research organization based at the University of Chicago. Tariffs — taxes charged on goods imported from abroad — have featured prominently in the administration's economic agenda.
According to the polling, the GOP now appears vulnerable even in some of its reddest districts and states, driven by anger over fuel prices, beef imports, and corruption. A Republican pollster said Trump's voters have become "disillusioned" by his lack of concern for the problems faced by everyday Americans. Those stakes now run through November's midterm elections, when every seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and roughly one-third of the Senate will be on the ballot.
One Texas Trump voter explained the shift: "You used to think that you could count on the Republicans to be able to help out with the economy." Now, he said, it feels as if "it's going to be the top class or the certain friends that are getting the benefit of the economy, not the general folks."
Earlier in the week, Fox also discussed the president's unwillingness to address public concern about the economy. "The president is saying that we're doing great, but don't tell me we're doing great," complained a guest of Fox business analyst Stuart Varney. "Focus. I don't want to hear about the Kennedy Center. I don't want to hear about a triumphal arch… acknowledge that their pain at the pump is real. Their pain in the pantry is real. The chaos at the kitchen table is real."