Kamala Harris is more trusted than Donald Trump on the US economy
FT Michigan Ross poll shows Democratic candidate leading on the issue for
first time in nearly a year
Kamala Harris meets supporters in Wayne, Michigan

More Americans trust Kamala Harris to handle the US economy than Donald
Trump, according to a new poll that marks a sharp change in voter sentiment
following President Joe Biden�s withdrawal from the White House race.
The survey, conducted for the Financial Times and the University of
Michigan Ross School of Business, is the first monthly poll to show the
Democratic presidential candidate leading Trump on the economy since it
began tracking voter sentiment on the issue nearly a year ago.
Although 41 per cent of Americans still trust the former president more on
economic issues � unchanged from the two previous monthly polls � the
survey found 42 per cent of voters believe Harris would be better at
handling the economy. That is a 7 percentage point increase compared to
Biden�s numbers last month.
�The fact that voters were more positive on Harris than on Biden . . . says
as much about how badly Biden was doing as it does about how well Harris is
doing,� said Erik Gordon, a professor at the university.
Despite strong US growth and employment figures, Biden struggled to
convince voters that his economic policies were benefiting them � a trend
that has continued following his withdrawal from the presidential campaign.
Americans still overwhelmingly cite inflation as their biggest concern
going into the November election, and the survey showed only 19 per cent of
voters believe they are better off today than they were when Biden took
office in 2021.
But the new FT-Michigan Ross survey also showed Harris may be able to
distance herself from Biden on economic issues. Fully 60 per cent of those
surveyed said she should either break completely from the president�s
economic policies or �make major changes� to his platform.
Harris also enjoyed a significantly higher approval rating than Biden, with
46 per cent of registered voters saying they approved of the job she was
doing as vice-president, compared to 41 per cent who said they approved of
the job the president was doing.
However, the survey also showed underlying economic unease among the
electorate could still benefit Trump, who during a nationally-televised
news conference on Thursday continued to criticise the Biden administration
for its record on inflation.
Just one in four registered voters rated economic conditions as either
�excellent� or �good,� and 42 per cent said they would be �much� or
�somewhat� better off if Trump won another four years in the White House.
Just 33 per cent said they would be �much� or �somewhat� better off under a
Harris presidency.
Gordon said: �The poll is good news for previously-anxious Democrats, but
their worries aren�t over because voters still see themselves better off
with Trump as president, and most voters think of their interests first and
grand policy questions second.�
Trump also polls better than Harris on some specific economic issues,
particularly trade, where 43 per cent of voters said they trusted him more
to handle economic relations with China, compared to just 39 per cent
backing the vice-president.
Trump has long championed a protectionist trade policy with Beijing and has
threatened to increase tariffs on cars and other consumer imports if given
another four years in the White House.
Representatives for the Harris and Trump campaigns did not respond to
requests for comment.
The FT-Michigan Ross Poll was conducted online by Democratic strategists
Global Strategy Group and Republican polling firm North Star Opinion
Research from August 1-5. It reflects the opinions of 1,001 registered
voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

https://archive.ph/ZcfbY#selection-1713.0-1758.0