Trump tops Harris on economy 52 to 40 in WSJ polling

Donald Trump is leading Vice President Kamala Harris on the issue of handling the economy by 12 points, according to a recent Wall Street Journal poll. This comes as global stock markets have plunged in recent days after unemployment increased in the US to 4.3 percent.

The poll was conducted from July 23-25 with 1,000 registered voters nationally and when those surveyed were asked, "Between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, who in your opinion is best able to handle the economy," Trump was favored by 52 percent of those polled compared to 40 percent who said Harris would do a better job.  

On foreign relations, Trump also leads Harris 49 to 45 for voters. The GOP nominee also leads on the topic of crime 48 to 43, five points ahead of Harris. On immigration, Trump is trusted by 53 percent of registered voters to handle immigration and the border in comparison to Harris' 40 percent.  

The poll overall shows the two nominees running within two points of each other, with Trump in front of Harris 49 to 47 points, but within the margin of error of 3.1 points for the poll. The poll was conducted prior to the heavy fluctuations in the market seen during the first weekend of August, but the drop in the global markets will likely play in Trump's favor for polling as he is not in office. 

Additionally, voters' confidence in the economy has remained low over the last year, according to a recent poll by Gallup. Confidence in the US economy, per the poll, is underwater by 35 points as of July 2024.