The facts
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicates that only 17% of U.S. adults approve of President Donald Trump's handling of the cost of living, with just 26% approving of his overall economic performance, a new low. A majority, 65%, of U.S. adults blame Trump's policies for high costs rather than factors outside his control. This sentiment reflects growing frustration with his use of tariffs and the war with Iran. The poll, conducted September 24-28 among 2,140 adults, shows that about half of U.S. adults are extremely or very concerned about affording groceries and gas, an increase from July. Approximately 7 in 10 Americans believe Trump's handling of the cost of living has been worse than expected, including about half of Republicans. Despite this, 67% of Republicans attribute high prices to factors beyond Trump's control. Overall, only about 3 in 10 Americans approve of Trump's job performance as president, and about 6 in 10 believe the country is worse off than when he began his second term.
Our take
Let's get this straight: the American public has finally done the math, and the equation is 'Donald Trump plus presidency equals your bank account getting skull-fucked by a combine harrier.' Only 17 percent approve of his handling of the cost of living. That's a lower approval rating than getting herpes from a public toilet seat. It's the kind of number you'd expect for a guy caught on video setting a puppy on fire, not for a sitting president's basic fucking job. But here we are, because the orange asshole's entire economic platform is built on two pillars: tariffs, which are just a fancy word for a tax he makes you pay so he can feel like a tough negotiator, and a war with Iran, which is just a money incinerator he uses to warm his tiny, tiny hands. The poll says 65% of adults blame his policies for high costs. The other 35% are presumably his immediate family, staffers under NDAs, and people who think the price of milk is set by the Illuminati at their annual bake sale.
About half the country is now extremely or very concerned about affording groceries and gas. This isn't a policy failure; it's a national-scale mugging. People are doing panic arithmetic in the cereal aisle, realizing that a box of Cheerios now costs what a decent steak used to, and all because this vain, bloviating cunt decided to play Risk with the global economy. And the punchline? Seven in ten Americans say his handling of costs has been worse than expected. What the fuck were they expecting? The man's pre-presidential resume was a graveyard of bankrupt casinos and stiffed contractors; his business genius was so profound the only bank that would lend to him was fucking Deutsche Bank. Did people think he'd suddenly become Warren Buffett if we gave him nuclear codes and a Twitter account? He's a grifter who accidentally grifted his way into the White House and is now using the full power of the state to run the same con on 330 million people.
The cognitive dissonance is the real masterpiece here. While 70% of the country sees this shitstorm for what it is, 67% of Republicans - a full two-thirds of his cult - still blame 'factors outside his control.' Let's translate that: they look at the smoking crater of their 401(k), the pathetic wad of singles left after filling their tank, and the sad, wilted lettuce they can now afford, and their brain immediately goes, 'This must be the work of a mysterious, unseen force... definitely not the guy whose signature is on every fucking tariff order and war authorization.' It's a level of loyalty usually reserved for hostages with Stockholm syndrome. They're standing in a burning house holding a gas can with Trump's name on it, screaming that the fire started because of wind.
So the final score is in: only about 3 in 10 Americans approve of this prick's job performance, and about 6 in 10 think the country is worse off. The disconnect isn't just staggering; it's the whole fucking show. Trump lives in a bubble of adulation and self-congratulation, a world where every problem is fake news and every failure is a setup. Meanwhile, in reality, his entire presidency is a vanity project financed by draining the life savings of every sucker who believed him. He's not managing an economy; he's performing a prolonged, elaborate magic trick where he makes your money disappear and then points angrily at the empty space where it used to be. The only thing lower than his approval rating is the balance in the accounts of the people he's supposedly leading.
