Trump begins a 32-day midterm campaign tour as a new AP-NORC poll finds low approval of his handling of the economy and rising living costs.
WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES — President Donald Trump begins a 32-day campaign push in Texas and Oklahoma as an AP-NORC poll finds widespread concern about living costs ahead of November’s midterms now.
President Donald Trump is beginning an intensive campaign tour ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, seeking to support Republican candidates as new polling reveals widespread public dissatisfaction with his handling of the American economy.
The 32-day campaign push begins Thursday, October 1, with appearances in Texas and Oklahoma. It comes as Republicans work to retain their congressional majorities while confronting voter concerns about household expenses, the continuing war with Iran and the administration's trade policies.
A new survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that only 17% of American adults approve of Trump's handling of the cost of living. Approval of his overall economic performance stands at 26%, marking a new low in the survey's tracking.
The findings illustrate the gap between the administration's account of its economic record and the financial pressures reported by many American households. They also provide important context for the president's decision to undertake an extensive campaign schedule during the final month before voting.
Trump launches 32-day campaign with visits to Texas and Oklahoma
Trump's campaign schedule begins with a visit to a truck manufacturing facility in Denton, Texas, followed by an evening rally in Durant, Oklahoma.
The Texas appearance combines an official presidential visit with the broader political context of a closely contested Senate election. Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton is running against Democratic state Representative James Talarico.
The administration is expected to use the manufacturing visit to highlight its trade and tariff policies. The White House maintains that its approach has encouraged domestic investment and employment, including job creation associated with truck manufacturing.
The president's subsequent Oklahoma appearance is intended to support Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei, who faces Democratic state House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson.
The rally is scheduled to take place at a venue belonging to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The tribal government has clarified that it is renting the venue rather than sponsoring or endorsing the political event.
Trump has also scheduled appearances in Alabama, Ohio and Nebraska as his campaign continues.
Vice President JD Vance is undertaking a separate campaign schedule, including an appearance in Florida. The coordinated travel reflects the Republican Party's efforts to promote its candidates across several states before election day.
AP-NORC survey identifies widespread concern about household expenses
The new AP-NORC findings provide a detailed picture of public attitudes toward the administration's economic performance.
The nationwide survey was conducted between September 24 and September 28, 2026. It interviewed 2,140 American adults through NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel and carries an overall sampling margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.
Its results indicate that dissatisfaction extends beyond general assessments of the economy to the specific issue of everyday affordability.
Only 17% of respondents approve of Trump's handling of the cost of living, while 26% approve of his overall management of the economy.
The survey also finds that 65% of American adults attribute unusually high prices primarily to Trump's policies rather than circumstances outside his control.
Approximately seven in ten respondents say the president's handling of living costs has been worse than they expected.
These figures describe national public opinion among American adults. They should not be interpreted as direct measurements of voting intentions or as forecasts for individual congressional races.
Nevertheless, they identify issues that both political parties are addressing during the final weeks of campaigning.
The distinction between economic approval and perceptions of affordability is particularly important. Voters can hold different views about national economic performance, employment and investment while simultaneously expressing dissatisfaction with the prices they encounter in their daily lives.
Republican voters express dissatisfaction but differ over responsibility
One notable finding is that concern about living costs extends into Trump's own political party.
Approximately six in ten Republicans disapprove of his handling of the cost of living, according to the AP-NORC survey.
However, 67% of Republican respondents believe that circumstances outside the president's control are primarily responsible for unusually high prices.
The two findings demonstrate that dissatisfaction with economic conditions does not necessarily translate into agreement about their causes.
Some Americans associate higher prices with administration decisions involving tariffs and the war with Iran. Others emphasize wider economic conditions and factors that cannot be attributed exclusively to presidential policy.
The survey also reveals a broader deterioration in public assessments of economic conditions since Trump returned to office in January 2025.
His economic approval has declined by 14 percentage points compared with March 2025.
The figures present a communications challenge for an administration that has repeatedly emphasized investment, manufacturing and trade as central elements of its economic agenda.
Speaking to reporters on September 30, Trump acknowledged that his administration had not adequately communicated what he regards as its economic achievements.
He said the campaign tour would provide an opportunity to explain those policies directly to voters and encourage Republican participation in the midterm elections.
Iran war and energy costs complicate the economic debate
The continuing war with Iran represents another significant issue in the midterm campaign.
The AP-NORC survey finds that 69% of American adults believe the war has not been worth fighting. Only 28% approve of Trump's handling of Iran.
The conflict has also become part of the domestic debate about energy costs.
Higher fuel prices affect households directly through transportation expenses. They can also increase costs for businesses that depend on road freight, agricultural machinery and other fuel-intensive operations.
Those expenses may eventually influence the prices consumers pay for transported goods, although the extent and timing of any increase depend on supply chains, contracts and other economic conditions.
The relationship between energy prices and household affordability gives the Iran conflict a domestic economic dimension beyond questions of foreign policy and national security.
Republicans have offered differing assessments of the administration's approach. Some defend the president's decisions and argue that wider international circumstances contribute to rising costs.
Democrats have criticized the administration's management of the conflict and linked its policies to financial pressures on American households.
These competing interpretations are central to the campaign debate. Establishing the precise economic contribution of the war, tariffs and other factors requires separate economic analysis rather than relying exclusively on public-opinion findings.
Texas illustrates the connection between manufacturing policy and fuel prices
Trump's Texas visit brings two elements of the economic debate into the same setting.
At the Peterbilt manufacturing facility in Denton, the administration intends to emphasize domestic industrial investment and the effects of its tariff policies.
The White House says its truck tariffs have supported additional employment at facilities operated by PACCAR, Peterbilt's parent company.
However, the administration's claims about employment benefits must be distinguished from independently established evidence about the overall economic effects of tariffs.
The trucking industry also faces higher operating costs when diesel prices rise.
According to figures reported by Reuters using AAA data, Texas diesel prices recently reached approximately $5.97 per gallon, while average gasoline prices were about 44% higher than a year earlier.
The contrast illustrates why manufacturing employment and consumer affordability can produce different assessments of economic performance.
An increase in domestic manufacturing employment does not automatically offset higher transportation expenses for businesses or households.
Similarly, higher fuel prices do not independently establish the overall effects of an administration's trade policies.
Both developments are relevant to understanding the economic issues confronting voters.
Republicans and Democrats prepare for November 3
The midterm elections will determine control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, alongside numerous state and local offices.
Republicans currently hold majorities in both chambers of Congress. The November elections will determine whether those majorities continue.
The Texas Senate election is one of the contests receiving substantial national attention.
In Oklahoma, the gubernatorial election has also attracted attention from national political organizations, including those supporting the Republican and Democratic candidates.
Republican National Committee representatives say Trump's campaign appearances are intended to encourage participation and support candidates across the country.
Democratic representatives have argued that the president's extensive travel reflects concerns within the Republican Party about voter dissatisfaction.
Those statements represent the respective parties' interpretations of the campaign environment, rather than independent evidence of eventual election results.
The administration's economic record, the Iran conflict, trade policy and household affordability are all subjects of public debate as candidates present their positions.
Trump's campaign tour will provide further opportunities for the administration to explain its policies. Opposition candidates will continue presenting alternative interpretations and proposals.
For voters, the November 3 elections will provide an opportunity to assess congressional candidates, their records and their positions on the issues affecting their communities.
The new AP-NORC survey establishes the scale of current dissatisfaction among American adults. The electoral consequences, however, remain to be determined by voters.
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