More Americans think the economy would fare better under former President Trump than Vice President Harris in a new survey, even as many economists say they expect higher inflation and slower growth under Trump.
In a survey released by Bankrate on Tuesday, 42 percent of Americans said Trump would be a better choice for their personal finances and inflation, while 45 percent of those polled also said he’d be “best for the economy.”
By contrast, 38 percent of respondents said Harris would be a better choice for their personal finances. Forty percent of those polled also backed her on the economy, and 39 percent said she’d be the best candidate on inflation.
“Since her shotgun start as a Presidential nominee, Vice President Harris has had to work quickly to introduce herself to the American public in a more substantial way, while seeking to differentiate herself from President Joe Biden to a degree and from former President Trump to a larger degree,” Bankrate senior economic analyst Mark Hamrick said. “That is a work still in progress.”
The results follow a survey published by The Wall Street Journal showing economists expected higher inflation, national deficits and interest rates under Trump’s proposed agenda than under policies proposed by Harris.
In that survey, 68 percent of respondents said they think inflation would rise faster under a second Trump term than if Harris were to become president — up 12 percentage points from when the outlet asked in July.
Additionally, 65 percent of economists said they saw Trump’s policies adding more to the nation’s deficits compared to Harris’s policy agenda. The figure marks a 14 point jump from the Journal’s July survey.
In the latest poll from Bankrate, the company also notes a correlation between people’s preferred candidate and their thoughts on the economy.
Respondents who preferred Trump for their personal finances were also much more likely to think the economy was headed in the wrong direction, while most people who favored Harris for their personal finances also believed the economy was headed in the right direction.
Overall, more Americans, or 41 percent, said they view inflation is the biggest issue when thinking of the coming presidential election. Health care costs stood as the next biggest issue at 14 percent, affordable housing with 11 percent, and jobs and government spending at 8 and 7 percent, respectively.
