Fox News anchor Bret Baier said that there are people “feeling pain from this economy” ahead of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.
Baier’s assessment tracks with recent national surveys showing Trump’s approval underwater on the economy and other major topics.
Newsweek reached out to an economic analyst via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Multiple polls show Trump’s overall and policy-specific approval ratings dip since taking office for his second term, potentially creating headwinds for the president’s Republican Party ahead of midterm elections.
What To Know
Speaking on Fox News Tuesday morning, Baier said in part that “there are people that are feeling pain from this economy, and you see that in polls all up and down,” as he previewed themes Trump was expected to address in the State of the Union.
“I think there’s going to be a focus on the economy. … I think that there’s going to be a real significant part of this speech that deals with what they see, what they passed with the Big Beautiful Bill, what people they believe, the administration believes are starting to feel and will feel as the year progresses. That consumer confidence number is a good sign as you head into this speech because it was low. And there are people that are feeling pain from this economy, and you see that in polls all up and down,” Baier said.
“The president is going to spend a lot of time on the economy, but he has a full plate of issues to deal with—Iran, the fallout from Venezuela, he will react to the Supreme Court and the tariffs, and you wonder how that’s going to go with the Supreme court justices, several of them in the front row listening to the speech. So it’ll be fascinating to see, expect these stories, weaving in all of these elements with real people as examples, because the president has done that before, and he will do it again.”
A Fox News poll in January showed the president with a 40 percent approval rating on the economy, 35 percent on inflation and an overall approval rating of 44 percent.
In a poll from The Economist and YouGov released on Tuesday, only 28 percent of U.S. adults think the state of the economy is excellent or good versus 69 percent who think it is fair or poor.
What People Are Saying
House Republican Lisa McClain of Michigan, on X Tuesday: “Tonight President Trump will tell the TRUE story of America after 13 months of Republican leadership: inflation is DOWN, the economy is ROARING, the border is SECURE and the American worker is BACK in the driver’s seat. President Trump’s fearless leadership has made the state of our union STRONG and it’s only getting STRONGER!”
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, on X earlier this month: “If this is the ‘greatest economy in the history of the world,’ as Donald Trump claims, God help us.”
Trump, earlier this month on Truth Social: “Record Stock Market, and National Security, driven by our Great TARIFFS. I am predicting 100,000 on the DOW by the end of my Term. REMEMBER, TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING! I hope the United States Supreme Court is watching.”
What Happens Next
Pollsters are expected to release additional monthly and weekly surveys on presidential approval, economic sentiment and issue priorities throughout 2026.
Trump’s State of the Union address is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET Tuesday.
