*SPECIAL* New Poll: Warning Signs on the Economy for Trump and Republicans Among the Working Class
The Working Class Project conducted a new survey of registered working class voters, who express serious concerns with tariffs, DOGE cuts, and GOP budget proposals
Earlier this week, we outlined the major, foundational brand challenges Democrats have with the working class.
We’re back with a second post this week to share some breaking news from a new poll commissioned by The Working Class Project. This is the first in a series of longitudinal quantitative surveys tracking this pool of voters and their evolving sentiments over time.
The poll of 1,000 registered working class voters taken April 7-13, and conducted by GBAO, shows real concerns with President Donald Trump’s economic plans.
(Notably, this sample was +5 Republican in terms of partisan self-identification, +7 Trump over Harris in 2024, and +2 for Republicans on a hypothetical 2026 midterm congressional matchup. In other words: this group skewed a little Trumpy and still had real concerns with him on the economy.)
WORKING CLASS VOTERS: TRUMP’S TARIFFS RAISE OUR PRICES
Six in 10 working class voters clearly see Trump’s tariffs as a huge new tax, raising the prices they pay on everyday goods.
By 31 points, working class voters say Trump’s tariffs are paid by American businesses and American consumers, like a huge new tax on the everyday goods that ordinary Americans need.
By 27 points, they say going back and forth with new tariffs against key allies like Europe, Canada, and Mexico will just start a trade war that will hurt American businesses and increase the prices that Americans pay every day.
And interestingly, while there is support for the idea of paying some higher prices in order to make more things in America, that sentiment shifts 12 net points in the negative direction when suggesting those higher prices could be indefinite.
DOGE ACTIONS & TRUMP PROPOSALS MAKE WORKING CLASS VOTERS LESS CONFIDENT IN TRUMP IMPROVING THE ECONOMY
Across the board, the specific cuts the Trump Administration, Elon Musk, and DOGE are either proposing or already making all erode working class voters’ confidence in Trump’s ability to improve the economy and make life more affordable.
The worst actions:
Eliminating VA jobs and lengthening vets’ wait times for medical care
Supporting a GOP budget cutting Medicaid and taking health care away from millions
Cutting NIH funding and canceling research projects on diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s
Let’s just look at the full list of concerns, and how working class voters feel about them, from the poll below:
OVERWHELMINGLY, WORKING CLASS VOTERS BELIEVE THE GOP IS LOOKING OUT FOR THE WEALTHY, BILLIONAIRES, & BIG CORPORATIONS
Working class voters overwhelmingly view the Republican Party as focused on serving those at the very top of the economic ladder, despite the gains Trump and the GOP have made among working class voters over the past decade.
This is a real vulnerability for Republicans– and underscores the importance of continually reminding Americans who Trump and Republicans are working for.
REALITY CHECK
The poll has some sobering data for Democrats, too.
Trump’s approval rating among these voters is 47% – slightly higher than polls this month of the broader public by Gallup, CNBC, The Economist/YouGov, and Quinnipiac – and Democrats in Congress are 15 points underwater (40% favorable - 55% unfavorable). As mentioned above, Democrats currently trail Republicans among these voters by 2 points in a generic 2026 midterm ballot test.
Similarly, Republicans have the edge on key attributes that should concern Democrats, including double-digit leads on patriotism and valuing hard work:
It was once true that voters would tell us they disliked Trump but liked his policies. These working class voters, now a major part of his core coalition, are turning against his policies. There are cracks emerging in what working class voters are willing to support from Trump, and they’re on the most important issues to them: the economy and affordability.
This should be a moment where the spotlight shines as bright as possible on these vulnerabilities, as the economy continues to face uncertainty thanks to Trump’s behavior. People are seeing their 401(k)s wiped out. Things are getting more expensive at the store or online because of Trump’s tariffs. The key is to keep talking about working class Americans’ lived experiences – and listening to them when they tell us how they feel and how increased prices are impacting their lives.
We’ll be back from The Working Class Project next week with more new findings from our research so far. Last week, we shared these voters’ initial impressions of Democrats. Next week, we’ll tell you what they have been saying about Republicans.
 | A guest post by
|
What about the idea of raising corporate tax rates 15%, and if a corporate has a "family friendly" policy which pays working class people a living wage and promotes the affordability of having kids, that 15% increase is exempt. Working families should be encouraged to save 30% of their wage increase for their children and 20% for a rainy day fund. Perhaps once working class has extra cash they will start saving it and building assets.
I would like to register concerns with current messaging on the use of the word 'woke' by some members. The shear use of it by Democrats, even in dispelling it, has a reinforcing effect because it becomes associative with their issues. Propositions for the economy, even when focused on facts and textualized in experience, will, undoubtedly, become shrouded by the term and fixed in the minds of voters. So, I would recommend efforts to quell this messaging. Focus on real world issues: less shipping traffic from international business at ports, impacts to the trucking industry, empty store shelves and on the erratic decision making process of this administration. It's not about fixing a negative image of Democrats but rather showing the deficit in Republican leadership: their tanking the economy and ceding the U.S.'s trade position.