Trump exasperated by his poor polling on the economy

US President Donald Trump fumed Thursday after an opinion poll showed his economic approval ratings have hit a new low.

The poll conducted by the University of Chicago for the Associated Press found that only 31 percent of US adults now approve of Trump's handling of the economy -- down from 40 percent in March.

"When will I get credit for having created, with No Inflation, perhaps the Greatest Economy in the History of our Country?" Trump wrote, with characteristic hyperbole, in a post on his Truth Social network.

"When will people understand what is happening? When will Polls reflect the Greatness of America at this point in time, and how bad it was just one year ago?" he said.

The AP said that according to their polling, it was the lowest economic approval Trump has registered in his first or second term.

Sixty-eight percent of respondents believe the American economy is performing poorly, according to the survey of 1,146 adults, conducted between December 4 and 8.

Trump this week traveled to the eastern state of Pennsylvania to tout his economic achievements amid signs of growing public dismay about the rising cost of living -- an issue that undid the presidency of his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden.

Trump once again criticized Biden for the "disaster" he left him regarding inflation, but the 79-year-old Republican insisted Thursday that "prices are falling rapidly" and touted the strong performance of the stock market.

Inflation soared during Biden's tenure. It initially slowed after Trump's return to power in January, but has accelerated since April.

The last published inflation figure, in September, showed a 2.8 percent year-over-year price increase. The government did not release statistics for October due to a government shutdown. The figure for November is expected next week. 

AFP