Trump Support Slips Among White Working-Class Voters

Swing voters across several battleground states are increasingly weighing the cost of filling their tanks as they assess President Trump's handling of the economy. In recent weeks, NPR's ongoing conversations with a panel of these voters revealed frustration over gas prices that have climbed above $4 a gallon in many areas, prompting some to reconsider how politics intersects with their daily budgets.

Colleen, a Pennsylvania participant who backed Kamala Harris in 2024 after supporting Trump in 2020, described the strain during a recent fill-up at $4.37 per gallon. She spoke of needing to cut back on family expenses just to cover transportation, adding that political leaders seemed detached from such pressures. Similar sentiments surfaced among other panelists in Nevada, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina and Wisconsin, many of whom have crossed party lines in past elections and now question whether sustained high prices will shape their midterm choices.

This pattern aligns with broader shifts among White working-class voters, a demographic central to Trump's 2024 coalition. Recent polling shows approval for his job performance turning net negative within this group. A CBS News survey this month found 54 percent disapproval among White voters without college degrees, up sharply from 32 percent in February 2025. The change reflects disappointment over unmet expectations on lowering everyday costs, including fuel, groceries and other essentials.

Interviews in Ohio captured the same tension. Voters such as Annette Dombrowski, a 64-year-old factory worker facing a plant closure, recalled Trump's campaign pledges to reduce prices and noted the gap between those promises and current bills. Others in the same community expressed cautious hope that conditions might improve, yet acknowledged growing unease about how long elevated costs could persist. These voices echo the swing-voter accounts, illustrating how economic friction is testing loyalty even among those who helped deliver Trump's return to office.

The developments carry implications for Republican efforts ahead of the midterms. White working-class support powered victories in 2016 and 2024, yet the current erosion suggests vulnerability if prices remain elevated. At the same time, the swing-voter panel shows that pocketbook concerns are not confined to one demographic, potentially broadening the coalition of voters reevaluating their options. Both sets of accounts underscore how concrete price signals can reshape political calculations more quickly than abstract messaging.