Voters delivered a stinging rebuke of President Donald Trump's economy and the Iran War in Tuesday's midterm elections, according to early exit polls.
Although Trump's 2024 presidential election victory was driven in large part because voters trusted him to deliver on economic gains, including lowering prices and spurring job growth, midterm voters told NBC News that they had soured on his handling of the issue.
An overwhelming majority — 75 percent — said they believed the economy is in rough shape, and 65 percent said they believed Trump's policies had actually worsened the economy.
The economy was the most important issue for voters as they went to the polls this cycle, with 39 percent saying it was their top concern. (RELATED: Hidden Cost Of War That Trickles Down To Your Grocery Bill Set To Explode In 2027)
More specifically, 87 percent said they were "very" or "somewhat" concerned with the cost of gas and diesel fuel. 88 percent said they were concerned about the price of food and groceries, and 86 percent said they were concerned about the price of utilities.
The economy tops the list of voters’ biggest concerns heading into the 2026 midterm elections, with the state of democracy ranking second.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 3, 2026
A new Fox News Voter Poll finds that 39% of voters nationally name the economy as the most important issue facing the country, while 32%… pic.twitter.com/hIxSww8Wd2
Critics of the president have blamed his decision to go to war with Iran as one of the key drivers of price increases. Strikes in the Middle East have driven up fuel costs for the average consumer.
The NBC News Exit Poll showed that 62 percent of voters believed Trump made the wrong decision in starting the war. (RELATED: Ron DeSantis Gets Honest About Iran War. Why Can't Other Republicans Do The Same?)
40 percent of voters cited the war as a major factor in their vote Tuesday.
Trump told the Daily Caller in May that he doesn't think about Americans' finances when pushing to make a deal with Iran.
"What extent are Americans' financial situation motivating you to make a deal?" the Caller's White House correspondent Reagan Reese asked.
"Not even a little bit. The only thing that matters, when I'm talking about Iran, they can't have a nuclear weapon," Trump said. "I don't think about Americans' financial situation, I don't think about anybody."
Just days out from the midterm, the president — who campaigned across the country for Republicans — said he bucked advisors who asked him to refrain from talking about oil companies raking in profits while Americans "suffered" from high gas prices.
"I said, 'I don't give a damn. I'm gonna say it.' We're making a freaking fortune," Trump said during a rally in Georgia.
The president spent the closing hours of the 2026 campaign touting his renovation projects in Washington, DC and claiming inflation was "solved."
As of publication of this article, swing Senate races were called for Democrats in Georgia and North Carolina, and Democrats were leading in South Carolina, Texas, Ohio and Kansas. The New York Times' election needle gives Democrats a more than 80 percent chance of controlling the Senate and a more than 90 percent chance of controlling the House.
This is a breaking news article and will be updated.
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