A new Fox News survey is painting a bleak picture for Donald Trump with the US midterm elections on the horizon.
The poll zeroes in on an area that has often been treated as a central advantage for Trump and the Republican Party.
That issue is how voters judge each party’s handling of the economy.
Published on April 22, the Fox News poll found that 52 percent of registered voters believe Democrats would manage the economy better, compared with 48 percent who chose Republicans.
Although the margin is not large, CNN noted it is the first time in 16 years that a Fox News poll has shown Democrats leading the GOP on the economy by four points.
The results arrive as oil prices have jumped following Trump’s move to launch a war against Iran alongside Israel, with both countries carrying out sustained strikes on multiple Iranian cities and key infrastructure.
Iran then responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route that handles roughly 20 percent of global oil shipments.
The disruption has pushed oil prices higher, rippling into wider economic concerns as markets react to more expensive energy.
At the same time, economic uncertainty tied to the conflict has come alongside the growing impact of Trump’s hardline tariff approach.
CNN data analyst Harry Enten described the political danger these figures pose for Republicans as the midterms near.
He said: “This is a siren sign for Republicans. These numbers are just downright atrocious; they’re the worst ever.”
Enten added that no modern US president has registered a net negative of 32 points on the economy.
He pointed to the weakest economic ratings since 2000 as George W. Bush’s net negative 25 in 2006, a level later matched by Joe Biden in 2022.
Enten argued that if the polling trend carries through to Election Day, it could spell serious trouble for Republicans.
“If these numbers hold in the midterm elections, wave adios amigos, kiss it goodbye, to that Republican majority in the House, and maybe the Senate as well,” said Enten.
While campaigning, Trump repeatedly stressed that he would bring down US gas prices, but since the conflict with Iran he has said Americans should expect higher prices ‘for a little while’.