Multiple polls show more than 60% of Americans are unhappy with Trump’s economy. But his top official isn’t buying it: ‘Classic Democrat move’

Two surveys released ahead of the midterms put dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy above 60 percent. Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, said Sunday that he does not accept those readings.

Hassett made the remarks to CNN’s Jake Tapper on State of the Union. He described the findings as something he does not trust this close to an election cycle.

“Ahead of an election cycle, the fact that there’s, you know, possibly partisan pollsters telling us that the people are really really depressed, it’s a classic Democrat move, and I just don’t buy it,” Hassett said. He pointed instead to how retailers are performing.

Hassett urges voters to look at the full picture

In a recent Quinnipiac University poll, 62 percent of respondents said they were against President Trump’s handling of the economy. The president has pushed back on such figures, as when he called his economy the greatest we’ve ever had and branded the poll numbers crooked and corrupt. An Associated Press/NORC survey put a related figure even higher.

That AP/NORC survey found 65 percent of respondents said the president’s policies are behind high prices, more than other economic drivers. More than half of respondents in that poll also said the national economy, and the U.S. overall, has been worse off since Trump came back to the White House. The White House has pushed back on such findings, as when Trump’s economic approval hit a new low with 61 percent saying the nation is worse off.

A polling average from Decision Desk HQ placed the president’s overall approval rating at 38.6 percent at the time of writing. Republicans are facing multiple political challenges as the midterms approach, with issues like the unpopular Iran war and tariffs.

The Iran war has especially hit Americans hard at the pump. The Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the oil industry, is closed amid the conflict.

Gas has consistently topped an average of $4 in the U.S. amid the Iran war. According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in the country was $4.36, as of writing.

Hassett said consumer data should be the check on the polls. “Because if it were true, if the polls were any value for thinking about what’s going on with consumers, then we should look at the consumption data and say, ‘Jeez, yeah, that’s right. People aren’t spending.’ But, in fact, the retailers are doing well,” he added.