Is It Trump or Biden’s Economy? Americans Weigh In

Americans have given their view on whether President Donald Trump inherited a weakened economy from his predecessor, or if the current difficulties are the result of his own policies.

According to a new poll by Gallup, nearly half Americans (46 percent) view Trump as more responsible for the current state of the economy, compared to 27 percent who chose Joe Biden. One-in-five (21 percent) said that responsibility was equally shared between both the former and current president, while five percent blamed neither.

Why It Matters

In response to either weak or underwhelming economic indicators, the Trump administration has repeatedly claimed that economic difficulties are the result of Biden’s policies. This was most recently the case with last week’s advanced estimates of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) for April, which revealed the first contraction for the economy in three years, and which Trump attributed to Biden “overhang.”

What To Know

Results of the Gallup poll were based on surveys of 2,036 American adults, conducted between April 2 and 15. The results closely mirror Gallup’s March poll, in which 43 percent said President Trump bore responsibility for the economy and 27 percent chose Biden.

As Gallup notes, attributing responsibility can be either an endorsement or a criticism of either figure, depending on how one views the current state of the economy, and the pollster found pronounced splits on this issue along party lines.

Overall, 91 percent of Democrats believe Trump is primarily or equally to blame for the current state of the economy, compared to 20 percent who say the same of Biden. Among Republicans, 40 percent attribute responsibility to Trump, while 74 percent point to Biden.

Among Americans who consider the economy in good shape—either excellent or good—37 percent and 34 percent assign responsibility to Biden and Trump, respectively. However, most of those who believe the economic conditions are bad say it is Trump’s fault (66 percent), only 14 percent of this group blaming Biden.

Last week, Trump attempted to avoid blame for the Commerce Department’s GDP reading—which revealed a 0.3 percent year-on-year contraction—as well as the continued volatility in the U.S. stock market.

“This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s,” the president posted to Truth Social on Wednesday. “I didn’t take over until January 20th.”

The post continued: “Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers. Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden “Overhang.” This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS, only that he left us with bad numbers, but when the boom begins, it will be like no other. BE PATIENT!!!”

In an interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press on Sunday, when asked what level of responsibility he bears for the economy, Trump said: “I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy.”

In March, responding to fears that the U.S. economy may soon dip into a recession, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated the president’s sentiment that the U.S. economy was in “a period of transition from the mess that was created under Joe Biden.”

However, following a better-than-expected jobs reading from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in early April, Leavitt held this as evidence that “the economy is starting to roar.”

What People Are Saying

Asked when the U.S. economy will become solely his responsibility, President Trump, told NBC News: “It partially is right now. And I really mean this. I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy because he did a terrible job on everything. Ultimately, I take responsibility for everything,” he added. “But I’ve only just been here for a little more than three months.”

Thomas Sampson, Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at London School of Economics, previously told Newsweek: “The GDP estimates are clearly a cause for concern and show that President Donald Trump’s trade policy is already hitting the U.S. economy.”

What Happens Next?

Optimism regarding the health of the U.S. economy could be boosted by a trade deal being struck with China, which the administration claims is imminent despite Beijing’s noncommittal stance.

However, the majority of Americans are still fearful about the possibility of a recession. According to a recent CNN poll, 69 percent of Americans believe this is likely to occur within the year, including 32 percent who consider the possibility very likely.