Roberts presses Trump on shaky economy approval

In a Fox exchange, John Roberts confronted White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson with a PBS News/NPR/Marist poll showing low approval for President Donald Trump’s economic handling. Jackson brushed aside the poll and tied Trump’s focus to issues s

John Roberts didn’t start with the midterms. He started with the numbers.

At the White House. Fox’s John Roberts asked White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson about President Donald Trump’s low economic approval in recent polls. pointing to a PBS News/NPR/Marist poll. The survey found that 60 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump’s overall handling of the economy, while only 33 percent approve. Roberts said Trump’s approval for his economic approach has stayed in the “thirty percent range” in recent months.

Roberts then widened the frame to a historical comparison—one that landed uncomfortably close to Election Day math. “If you look back to 1992, for example, George H. W. Bush had a 90-something percent approval rating after the Gulf War,” Roberts said. “He lost the presidency that year because people made up their minds about the economy very early in that year. We’ve only got a few months now until the midterms. This Marist poll shows that the President’s not exactly firing on all cylinders when it comes to approval of his handling of the economy.”.

He pressed further. arguing Trump’s standing isn’t just low—it’s lower than a Democratic opponent during a rough patch. Roberts said Trump’s 33 percent approval rating is three points lower than Joe Biden at his worst and asked how Trump could improve “before people make up their minds about the midterms.”.

Jackson’s response was blunt. She dismissed the usefulness of the polling itself. “John. you know as well as I do that if the American people trusted these polls. President Trump wouldn’t be in office right now. ” she said. “But time and time again. he has defied the polls because he is in touch with what the American people care about.”.

Jackson said Trump is heading to Pennsylvania to speak with people she described as central to his landslide victory. She framed the argument around what voters want from Trump’s agenda—lowering costs. bringing manufacturing back to the United States. and providing long-term financial security for Americans through efforts like the “Trump Accounts. ” which she said the president helped spearhead. She also pointed to lowering drug costs.

Roberts didn’t let the discussion drift away from economics. He acknowledged there are “economic ups and downs in that area of the country” and said the question was whether an “economic rebound” is tied to the fate of the Iran Deal.

That’s where the exchange sharpened. Roberts raised Trump’s claim that Iran agreed to nuclear inspections for “infinity” as part of the deal, and then contrasted it with Iran’s denial. Iran, Roberts noted, has said it has made “no new commitments” about nuclear inspections.

With those conflicting assertions on the table. Roberts asked whether Trump would cut off negotiations on Iran and questioned what that would mean for the economy. He also pushed on timing: with the midterms approaching. he wanted to know whether economic stability depends on developments tied to the negotiations.

Roberts did not receive a direct answer on the economic impact of any shift in the Iran talks. Jackson instead returned to the core message she said hasn’t changed. “President Trump’s priorities have not changed throughout this entire conflict,” she said. “And that is that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. and that the safety and the security of the American people remains paramount.”.

In the brief, high-stakes exchange, the disagreement wasn’t only about numbers. It was about what those numbers should mean—and whether the economy’s next step is something voters will feel in time for the midterms. or something contingent on a diplomatic fight that is still producing competing claims.

Donald Trump John Roberts Abigail Jackson White House Deputy Press Secretary economic approval PBS News NPR Marist poll midterms 1992 comparison George H. W. Bush Joe Biden Pennsylvania visit Iran nuclear deal nuclear inspections Trump claims Iran inspections for infinity Iran denies commitments negotiations on Iran lowering costs manufacturing back to the United States Trump Accounts drug costs