According to a recent monthly poll by the Financial Times of the United Kingdom, Republican candidate Donald Trump has surpassed Kamala Harris to become the candidate in whom Americans trust in terms of the economy. This reflects that voters do not believe that the Democratic Party has brought them a better life than four years ago. Now they choose to believe that if the Republican Party wins, their lives will be better.

Less than two weeks before the election, the final monthly survey jointly conducted by the Financial Times and the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan found that 44% of registered voters trust Trump more in handling such issues, while Harris's percentage is 43%.

It is worth mentioning that this is the first time Trump leads Harris on this issue in the FT-Michigan Ross poll.

Historical data also shows that Harris, who replaced Biden as the Democratic candidate this summer, briefly surpassed Trump in economic terms, but that advantage has now disappeared.

Polls also found that Trump has a greater lead when it comes to which candidate will improve their economic situation. 45% chose the former Republican president, an increase of 5 percentage points from last month, while only 37% support Democratic Vice President Harris.

This result indicates that in the final stages of the increasingly intense competition with Trump, Harris's economic campaign has lost momentum. Ross School of Business Professor Erik Gordon said, 'If Harris wants to win the election, she must win on other issues.'

Who can make the wallet bulge?

A survey found that voters ranked "economic issues such as employment and cost of living" as the "most critical issue" determining whether they vote for a presidential candidate.

Polls show that although Harris's performance on economic issues is better than Biden's when he was the Democratic nominee, the Democratic Party has always struggled to convince voters that they are capable of managing the economy.

When asked whether the economic situation was better during Trump or Biden's term, 51% of people said they were "much better" or "somewhat better" during the Republican term, with only 28% saying they were better off under Biden's leadership.

In addition, voters are still lamenting the high cost of living brought about by the soaring inflation in 2022, which has kept prices high and continues to severely impact consumer confidence. More than three-quarters of voters believe that "rising prices" are one of the biggest sources of their financial pressure, a ratio that has remained consistent over the past 12 months since the survey began.

Trump insists that he will lower the cost of living by significantly cutting energy prices and various taxes, and is committed to increasing tips and overtime pay for hourly workers, as well as benefits for the elderly. He also vows to further reduce the corporate tax rate from 21% to 15%.

Harris often describes her upbringing in a middle-income family and proposes an "opportunity economy" that focuses on less wealthy families, including subsidies for first-time homebuyers and small businesses.

From the perspectives of the two, there are also differences in the interest groups behind Trump and Harris.

Public opinion polls also reflect this, as voters believe Harris is better able to represent the interests of the middle class, small businesses, blue-collar workers, and union members; while Trump is seen as better representing the interests of large corporations and the wealthy.

Editor/Rocky