More than half of Americans say the cost of living is worse under Trump than any other point in their lives

A majority of Americans now say the cost of living is the worst they can remember — and most of them blame President Donald Trump for their predicament.

Poll results published Friday by Politico showed 53 percent of those surveyed couldn’t recall struggling harder to make ends meet, up from 46 percent in November.

The poll by Public First also found 46 percent felt Trump was fully or mostly responsible for the state of the economy, unchanged from six months ago.

Veteran Republican communications strategist Kevin Madden told Politico that Trump “faces a similar predicament” to that of his predecessor, President Joe Biden, when Americans watched pandemic-related inflation steadily increase despite administration assurances it would be “transitory.”

“As prices rise due to tariff and trade policies and global conflict, the response that it’s a hoax or not true is just a very discordant message given that so many voters are feeling a budget pinch right now,” Madden said.

In a statement to The Independent, White House senior deputy press secretary Kush Desai said, “While the President has been clear about short term disruptions as a result of Operation Epic Fury, the Administration remains focused on implementing the proven Trump agenda of tax cuts, deregulation, and energy abundance to keep America on a solid economic trajectory.”

“Once the Iranian terror threat is neutralized and traffic in the Strait of Hormuz normalizes, Americans will again see gas prices plummet, real wages grow, inflation cool, and trillions in investments pour in,” he added.

The latest Politico poll found that 79 percent of Americans reported that gas prices had risen somewhat or greatly since Trump took office last year, with 77 percent saying food was also more expensive and 62 percent saying the same about medicine.

The online poll of 2,065 adults was conducted from May 9 to 11, before Trump stunningly said, “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation” when a reporter asked if it was motivating him to make a deal to end the Iran war.

“I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon, that’s all,” he said.

Trump later defended his May 12 remark as a “perfect statement” and said, “I’d make it again.”

The poll also found that 58 percent of Americans felt Trump hasn’t done enough to protect the country from the economic impact of the Iran war, compared to 25 percent who said he has.

Those who said they voted for Trump in 2024 were evenly divided, 43 percent to 43 percent, while supporter’s of his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, split 79 percent to 14 percent against the president’s efforts.

And a 42 percent plurality of Trump voters said the U.S. should continue the conflict even if it pushes prices higher, compared to just 11 percent of Harris voters and 22 percent overall.

A Republican strategist based in Florida told Politico that GOP prospects in the upcoming midterm elections could hinge on the price of gas because it’s “so intricate in the notion of affordability.”

“If you can get the gas prices back to pre-conflict levels, and the people in those 16 to 18 House districts that are going to decide this race are feeling good in three or four states, then you’re in a much better shape than a lot of people think,” the strategist said.