Trump’s support on key issue finally starting to ‘crack’ among GOP voters

While American voters have increasingly soured on President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy, Republican voters have largely remained consistent in giving the president passing marks on the issue – that is, until a new survey revealed the first cracks among GOP voters, Axios reported Saturday.

“Trump's approval rating has been dropping for months, but the University of Michigan's May consumer sentiment survey released Friday revealed something more striking: Republicans are beginning to lose confidence in the economy, too,” wrote Axios’ Mike Zapler in the outlet’s report.

According to the survey, GOP and independent voters’ view of the economy hit an all-time low of Trump’s second term, with overall sentiment hitting a historic all-time low. In February, about 8 in 10 Republicans approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, but as of this week per another poll, that figure dropped to around 6 in 10.

Megan Brenan, a senior editor with Gallup, noted that the drop in GOP voters’ support on Trump’s handling of the economy was “a crack we’re seeing,” with a Gallup poll released Friday also finding Republicans’ view on the economy had dipped in the past four months to its lowest level of Trump’s second stint in the White House.

With Democrats already projected to take back control of the House in the upcoming midterm elections – and possibly the Senate – Zapler noted how “even small cracks in Republican confidence,” such as the aforementioned drop in support on Trump’s handling of the economy, only “add to the litany of warning signs for the GOP this year.”