In recent weeks, a wave of pessimism has swept across America concerning the state of the economy. This growing dissatisfaction is largely directed at President Donald Trump, as many citizens struggle with the burden of rising prices. A series of four polls released recently capture this sentiment, highlighting a nation grappling with economic uncertainty.

Amidst ongoing tensions with Iran and stubbornly high gas prices, a significant portion of the American populace is voicing their discontent with the nation’s economic trajectory. Many believe that the situation is worsening, a sentiment echoed across various demographic groups.

According to a Gallup survey, 47% of Americans now describe the current economic conditions as “poor,” marking an increase of 7 percentage points since March. Furthermore, 73% believe the economy is deteriorating, which also reflects a 7-point rise from the previous month. A separate poll conducted by Fox News reinforces this outlook, with 70% of registered voters feeling the economy is declining—a 15-point jump from last April, equaling a previous peak set earlier in 2023.

While the Fox News poll indicates that 41% of registered voters rate the economy negatively—unchanged from the prior month—this figure still eclipses the roughly one-quarter of voters who view the economy in a positive light. Notably, there is a partisan divide, with Republicans more likely to express optimism about the economic situation compared to their Democratic counterparts.

Furthermore, a survey by Marquette Law School reveals that 70% of Americans anticipate inflation will rise over the coming year, an increase of 9 points since January. This expectation of escalating inflation further fuels concerns about the future economic landscape.

The Gallup Economic Confidence Index, which measures the economy from a range of -100 (poor) to +100 (good), dropped 11 points this month from -27 in March to -38 now, the lowest rating since November 2023. Despite Republicans being the only partisan group to rate the economy positively in the index, their economic rating dropped 15 points between March and April, larger than declines among Democrats or independents.

Trump’s role

Most voters blame Trump for the economy. Fox News found that by a 2-to-1 margin, voters said Trump’s policies were hurting (56%) rather than helping (28%) the economy.

While a majority of Republicans said Trump’s policies are helping the economy in the Fox poll, there’s a large split between MAGA Republicans, and non-MAGA Republicans. While 70% of MAGA Republicans said Trump’s policies are helping the economy, that falls to 30% among non-MAGA Republicans.

And an increasing share of Americans say that Trump’s policies are adding to the country’s inflation woes. Marquette found 62% of Americans saying Trump’s policies would increase inflation, up from 45% who said the same at the end of 2025.

Fox News found 66% of voters disapproving of how Trump is handling the economy and 34% approving, tying last month’s ratings and marking a record low in approval (and record high in disapproval) over both of Trump’s terms. Marquette found a similar 68% of Americans disapproving of how Trump is handling the economy along with 76% disapproving of how he is handling inflation and the cost of living.

The Trump administration has defended its economic policies and blamed the Biden administration and Democrats for the state of the economy.

“Every single American at every income level there’s more money in their pockets this week because of the Republican tax policies,” Trump said earlier this month at a roundtable event touting his “no tax on tips” policy.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later touted those same tax policies and said, “President Trump’s working family tax cuts have put a historic amount of money back into the pockets of the American people this year.”

Personal finances and gas prices

Americans are dour about their personal finances and are particularly attuned to high gas prices.

Six in 10 voters in the Fox poll rated their own personal financial situation “only fair” or “poor,” including 28% who said it was poor. Majorities of Democrats, independents and Republicans rated their personal finances negatively in the Fox poll.

The Marquette poll found just 2 in 10 Americans saying they were personally better financially off than they were a year ago, down 8 points from January.

Those negative ratings might be due to high prices. Large shares of Americans are noticing high gas and grocery prices: 82% of Americans said grocery prices had gone up over the last six months and 93% said the same about gas prices, according to Marquette. In January, just 21% said the same about gas prices.

Most voters said higher prices are a major problem for them. The Fox poll found large shares of voters saying that grocery prices (62%), gas prices (60%), healthcare costs (55%) and housing costs (52%) were major problems for their families.

Voters are trying to cut back elsewhere to make up for the higher costs they are paying for gas and food. A CNBC poll found nearly 8 in 10 voters saying they had done at least one of the actions asked about, including about 6 in 10 who said they were spending less on out-of-home entertainment and just over half who said they were traveling less because of the high costs of gas and food. About 4 in 10 said they were spending less on “essential items like groceries and medical care” and about 3 in 10 said they were putting more purchases on credit cards.

Voters are also blaming the war in Iran: The CNBC poll found 64% of voters saying the war in Iran was not worth the increase in gas prices.

Americans are down on the job market. Gallup found 63% of Americans saying it was a bad time to find a job and 33% saying it was a good time, slightly worse than the 38% who said the same in January and the same as November tying the worst rating since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite some recent all-time stock market highs, most Americans are wary about investing. A slim 53% majority of Americans said in the Gallup poll that it would be a bad idea to invest $1,000 into the stock market right now. 

The Gallup poll was conducted April 1-15 among 1,001 U.S. adults and has an error margin of +/- 4 percentage points.

The Fox News poll was conducted April 17-20 among 1,001 registered voters and has an error margin of +/- 3 percentage points.

The Marquette Law School poll was conducted April 8-16 among 982 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points.

The CNBC All-America Economic Survey was conducted April 15-19 among 1,000 registered voters and has an error margin of +/- 3.1 percentage points.

ABC News’ Liz Schreier contributed to this reporting.

The sound was reminiscent of champagne corks popping in quick succession, though no one could uncork bottles that swiftly. It wasn’t the celebratory sound it seemed to be at first.

These ‘pops’ echoed ominously from the foyer, penetrating the Washington Hilton ballroom through the open main door. Seated near the entrance, I was among those who heard it most clearly.

My dinner companions and I were engaged in a lighthearted sweepstake, predicting the duration of President Trump’s upcoming speech and speculating which news outlet would be his target for the evening’s jabs.

Someone began to wager, “I think he’s going to speak for…” but their guess was abruptly cut short as the sharp, unsettling sounds filled the air.

We all turned our gaze toward the open doorway, apprehensive and alert, anticipating the possibility of a chaotic scene unfolding with someone bursting through, weapon in hand.

Diving for the floor, I squashed under the table with several other guests, sending what remained of our cheese salad starters flying.

Wine glasses went tumbling, a woman nearby lost her heels, chairs overturned, and half-drunk bottles rolled across the carpet.

For several moments, lying under the table, we looked at each other silently, asking the same question – would there be more shots?

Terror rippled through the Washington Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night after a gunman opened fire 

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were almost immediately ushered out of the Washington Hilton’s ballroom

Then, lifting a flap of the white tablecloth, I saw armed men come flying through the doorway.

They ran past our table and down the aisle, clambering over other tables and past prone dinner guests.

As they grabbed a man with gray hair, my first thought was that he must be the shooter, but he turned out to be a high-profile politician.

At the other end of the room, the President had by now been bundled out, pushed so hard by a Secret Service agent he almost fell over.

What appeared to be Secret Service agents in night goggles were now standing on the dais where he had been sitting, pointing their weapons in the direction of the diners.

An uneasy silence hung over the cavernous ballroom, with the odd head poking out from under tables nearby. Someone shouted ‘USA’ and tried to start a chant, but it fell flat.

I hesitated to get my phone out to start filming in case the agents thought it was a gun.

Instead, I walked to the main entrance door, through which the sound of the shots had come. It was now closed with a security guard, dressed in black, in front of it.

Daily Mail reporters in attendance reported hearing three to four shots and Secret Service agents yelling to get down

The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the banquet hall at the Washington Hilton as guests were dining on burrata salad

The banquet hall contained thousands of journalists who frantically took cover under tables and chairs before they were also evacuated

Mike Bell, the guard, told me: ‘You can’t go out, there’s a man down out there on the other side of the door. I don’t know if he’s dead, Secret Service are cleaning it up. It’s up one flight of steps where the magnetometers are.’

He went on: ‘I heard the shots and got down. I don’t know how many shots it was. After they came in, a Secret Service guy tapped me on the shoulder and told me to go lock this door.

‘I got here, and I could smell the gunfire on the other side. I know what that smells like.

‘I normally work the magnetometers, but the Secret Service took that over for this tonight. I don’t know what side of the mag the shooter was on.’

Soon, agents were rushing Cabinet secretaries up the aisle, passing within a few feet of my table, and out another exit.

Pete Hegseth, the War Secretary, was among the first, striding out with a face like thunder.

Robert F Kennedy Jr, whose father was assassinated in a hotel, looked grim. Scott Bessent seemed determined, while Kash Patel looked calm amid the chaos.

In a room full of journalists, rumors immediately began spreading like wildfire.

At a White House press conference after the shooting the president revealed he campaigned to stay at the event but was forced to leave due to Secret Service protocol 

The alleged shooter was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of California

Was it even gunshots at all? Some speculated it could have been a prank sounds from a tape recorder.

A Medal of Honor recipient, I was under a table when it sounded like a suppressor had been used.

Others had heard for sure it was an Iranian terrorist, while more pointed the finger of blame at noisy anti-war protesters stationed outside the hotel.

But soon, everyone was talking about the questions that would surely dominate the inquest into this latest assassination attempt – how was a gunman able to get so close?

There is no doubt that security at the event was sorely lacking.

I was amazed that I never had to show any form of ID to enter the venue.

All that was required was to flash a paper ticket in the vague direction of a security guard when walking into the parking lot.

Indeed, anyone staying at the hotel did not even need that, they simply had to show a room key card.

Guests are assisted and whisked away during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting aftermath

The suspect is being charged with two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and a second crime of assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon, Jeanine Pirro, US attorney for Washington, DC, said

The President was attending the event for the first time since 2011 and was set to be honored and give a speech

From the parking lot, I walked inside the hotel and did not have to show a ticket again until I reached an escalator, where one security person was attempting to check several tickets a second.

The first and only set of magnetometers was separated from the main ballroom entrance by one short flight of stairs leading down.

If he had gotten past the magnetometer, a gunman could have been into the ballroom in just a few seconds.

Presidential appearances at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner go back many years, and the security operation should, by now, be a well-oiled machine.

Yet, during a time when America is at war with Iran, checks appeared minimal.

Both the President and Vice President were at the event, further begging the question of why security was not tighter.

When the event happens again in 30 days’ time, it will have to be.

On Friday, the US Embassy in London issued a cautionary message to Americans, advising them to be particularly vigilant when visiting Jewish and American neighborhoods within the UK and across Europe due to a surge in threats.

The embassy highlighted recent incidents and warnings directed at Jewish and American sites in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe. They emphasized the importance for US citizens, especially those frequenting areas linked to Jewish or American communities, to stay alert and exercise heightened caution.

Americans were also urged to be cautious when visiting tourist attractions, expatriate communities, and religious venues. The embassy recommended reviewing personal security strategies and staying informed through local news outlets for any updates.

Additionally, the embassy suggested that concerned individuals register with the State Department’s Safe Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive timely travel and security alerts.

Concerned citizens can also enroll in the State Department’s Safe Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive travel and security updates.

The advisory followed a series of recent antisemitic attacks in the UK and in Europe, including an arson attack on four ambulances linked to a Jewish charity in London on March 23, an April 18 attack on the Kenton United Synagogue in London, and a March explosion at a Jewish school in Amsterdam that authorities called a “targeted attack against the Jewish community.”

No one was injured, but the school was damaged.

UK authorities are investigating whether “thugs for hire” backed by Iran are instigating the attacks in London, GB News reported.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the Jewish Chronicle: “In relation to malign state actors more generally, proscription, we do need legislation in order to take necessary measures, and that is legislation that we’re bringing forward as soon as we can.”