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Voters Increasingly Trust Harris Over Trump On Economy Despite Being ‘Hurt’ By Biden Admin Policies, Poll Shows

A new poll conducted in August found that most Americans trust Kamala Harris more than Donald Trump to manage the economy, even though they give the Biden-Harris administration a bad rating for its economic policies.

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has a narrow lead over Republican candidate Donald Trump with 42% even though nearly half of respondents said the Biden administration's policies have “hurt the economy.” According to According to a poll conducted by the Financial Times and the University of Michigan, only about a quarter of voters believe the current administration has not harmed the economy, while nearly three-quarters have a negative view of the current economy under President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris.

Asked to disregard overall opinions about the candidates and who they plan to vote for, 42% of voters said they most trusted Harris to manage the economy, up from 35% in July. Trump's approval rating has remained relatively steady at around 41% since February, while Harris was at just 31% in the same month, according to the poll.

US President Joe Biden shakes hands with US Vice President Kamala Harris before delivering a speech on advancing the safe, secure and trustworthy development and use of artificial intelligence in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 30, 2023. (Photo by Brendan Smiarowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Voters still agree that the economy would be better off under Trump, with 42% saying his economic policies would make them “better” economically, while only 33% said the same for Harris. Even more voters, 38%, said they would be “worse” if Harris were elected president.

The poll showed the percentage of people who said they would be better off under a Trump administration was down from 45% in July, when Biden announced he was dropping out of the presidential race.

Six in 10 voters said Harris should change her approach to the economy from Biden's if she wins the election, with many saying inflation is the most needed change and some saying “everything.” (Related article: Americans largely agree that November's vote poses a challenge to democracy, but not a threat: poll)

Public confidence in the economy has continued to decline under the Biden-Harris administration, as sluggish job growth and persistent inflation plague the country and fears of a recession grow: A May poll found that 56% of Americans believe the country is currently in a recession.

The poll was conducted Aug. 1 to Aug. 5 among 1,001 registered voters and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points.

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