FT Poll: Trump Holds 11-Point Lead Over Biden on Economic Issues

Republican front-runner Donald Trump has an 11-point lead over President Joe Biden on the question of who would be better at handling the economy, according to a new Financial Times poll.

Trump earned 42% of the vote in Sunday’s poll compared to 31% for Biden. The other 21% said they didn’t trust either candidate.

Further, 27% said economic conditions in the U.S. were “excellent” or “good,” a 6-point jump from the same question asked in November. But only 36% said they approve of Biden’s handling of the economy, unchanged from November, according to the survey results. Meanwhile, 60% said they disapprove.

“Biden’s messaging that the economy is doing well under him hasn’t convinced many people,” said Erik Gordon, a professor at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

That is underscored by 49% saying they are “somewhat worse off” or “much worse off” since Biden became president vs. 17% who said they are better off, according to the poll. Further, 46% said Biden’s policies have hurt the economy “somewhat” or “a lot” vs. 29% who say his policies have helped.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said last week that a rise in wages is offsetting high prices and that Americans are better off than before the COVID pandemic.

“We don’t have to get the prices down. Wages are going up,” Yellen said before the Senate Banking Committee hearing on Thursday.

Not according to those surveyed by FT.

“Despite his repeated statements and despite government numbers that support him, he hasn’t moved the disapproval needle,” Gordon said in the analysis.

The FT-Michigan Ross poll, conducted online by Democrat strategists Global Strategy Group and Republican polling firm North Star Opinion Research, surveyed 1,006 registered voters between Feb. 2-5. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 points.