Shutdown endangering economy as poll shows Americans souring on Trump  

Inflation is rising again, hiring is slowing, and voter confidence in the economy has dropped to one of its lowest points in years. Federal data shows annual inflation hitting 3 percent for the first time since the Biden administration — a full point above the Fed’s target — driven largely by higher energy and food costs, the areas Americans can least avoid.  

At the same time, job growth has fallen from an average of 150,000 new jobs per month early this year to about 25,000 by August. Research from Goldman Sachs economist Elsie Peng estimates slower immigration, reduced government hiring, and cuts to federal contract funding are costing the U.S. roughly 100,000 jobs each month, amplified by uncertainty in trade policy.  

With those conditions piling up, Trump’s numbers on economic management are slipping sharply. According to the latest Quinnipiac poll, just 38 percent of voters approve of his handling of the economy. Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy called it “a low watermark for a president who promised a vibrant and muscular economy.”  

The White House, however, argues the opposite. In a statement to The Hill, a spokesperson said “President Trump’s economic agenda has tamed Joe Biden’s inflation crisis, delivered real wage growth, and secured trillions in investments to make and hire in America.”  

A clear picture of what’s actually happening is harder to confirm because the government shutdown has frozen nearly all federal economic reporting except the CPI — meaning the country is effectively flying without instruments. Analysts warn that if the shutdown drags on, the blind spot grows, and the economic fallout deepens.  

Meanwhile, the administration’s foreign economic choices are drawing heat from both parties — especially the $20 billion support plan for Argentina’s currency markets alongside a pledge to buy Argentinian beef when U.S. ranchers are already struggling with rising costs and shrinking herds. Beef prices are up 16 percent this year. Sen. Deb Fischer said she expressed “deep concerns” to the White House, warning Nebraska ranchers “cannot afford to have the rug pulled out from under them.”  

Sen. Mike Rounds added that “opening the market to even more foreign beef … would only exacerbate the problem and hurt domestic producers.”  

Trump defended the move on Truth Social, arguing, “The Cattle Ranchers, who I love, don’t understand that the only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put Tariffs on cattle coming into the United States.”  

The broader economic story is becoming harder to spin: inflation is trending up, job growth is trending down, and farmers — the core of the “America First” coalition — are now publicly questioning whether they’re being put behind foreign allies.  

And that’s the tension defining this moment: It’s hard to run on America First when American workers keep ending up second.  

Lindsey Granger is a NewsNation contributor and co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising.” This column is an edited transcription of her on-air commentary.