Voters More Likely to Credit Trump for Economy Over Obama

With the unemployment rate still among 18-year lows and the Dow Jones Industrial Average still among all-time highs, voters are slowly giving President Trump more credit than President Obama for the improving economy, though there remains a stark partisan divide. Voters agree, though, that impeaching Trump would be a detriment to the nation’s economy.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 50% of Likely U.S. Voters now believe the improving economy is due more to Trump than Obama, while 40% think it is more the result of the policies Obama put in place before he left office. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

Credit to Trump has been on the rise since October 2017, when voters were evenly divided, 45% to 45%, over who was more responsible for the improving economy. In February, 47% felt the economic success was more due to Trump, while 42% felt it was due more to his predecessor in the White House. 

But as is often the case, there’s still strong partisan disagreement: most Republicans (82%) credit Trump with improving the economy, while two-out-of-three Democrats (67%) still think Obama is to thank. Among voters not affiliated with either major party, 48% credit Trump, while 39% credit Obama.

Among all voters, though, 47% think the impeachment and removal of Trump from office would be bad for the economy. Just 27% think it would be good for the economy, while 15% think impeaching Trump would have no economic impact. Another 11%, though, are not sure.

Most Republicans (76%) and 47% of unaffiliated voters think impeaching Trump would hurt the economy, but 46% of Democrats think it would have a positive impact.

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The survey of 1,000 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted on July 29-30, 2018 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Forty-one percent (41%) of Democratic voters still believe the president will be impeached before he can finish serving his term, but 71% of Republicans expect Trump to be reelected in 2020. Forty-one percent (41%) of all voters agree with the GOP.

More men (54%) credit Trump for the improving economy than women (47%). Forty-two percent (42%) of women still give Obama more credit. But pluralities of both men and women think impeaching and removing Trump from office would be bad for the economy.

Voters under 40 are the least likely to give Trump the recognition for improving the economy, though they still credit him over Obama by a 48% to 41% margin. They’re also the least likely to think impeaching Trump would hurt the economy, though 42% still agree.

Fifty-five percent (55%) of white voters believe Trump is to thank for the improving economy, while 64% of black voters and 52% of other minorities credit Obama. White and other minority voters are more likely to think it would be bad for the economy to impeach Trump, while most black voters think it would help the economy.

Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters now rate the way Trump is handling economic issues as good or excellent. That’s up from 39% a year ago higher praise on the economy than Obama received during most of his presidency. 

Spending may have grounded for summer, but sentiments on the economy are still flying high.

The number of Americans who know someone who is looking for work or has given up the search has hit its lowest level yet, while confidence in the job market remains near record highs.

Home values are also on the rise and more homeowners than ever are breathing a sigh of relief that the value of their property outweighs their mortgage.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

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