How Trump won the economy-is-everything election

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The experts said the economy was doing great. Everyday Americans disagreed.

Roughly 40% of voters said the economy was their top issue, far outstripping any other issue, and those voters favored Donald Trump by 60% to 38%. Many weren’t thinking about the streak of robust economic growth or the Federal Reserve’s potential soft landing when they voted, but their grocery bills and out-of-reach ambitions. Americans are still feeling sticker shock from higher prices on everything from cleaning supplies to a cup of coffee that followed the pandemic.

Their anger about the economy extended beyond prices to encompass wider discontent and anxiety over the future. Many Americans are frustrated that they can’t afford to buy a home or start a family. Fewer believe that the American dream is achievable.

“We are so tired. Everyone we know is so tired, like somebody’s foot has been on the American people’s chest for the past four years," said Amanda DiAntonio, a 36-year-old hair stylist who lives in Henderson, Nev., and voted for Trump. She said she believes Trump will enable working people to enjoy their lives again.

“I just feel a big exhale," she said, “like let’s move forward because we’re going to be OK." The Wall Street Journal spoke to hundreds of Americans this year about their feelings on the economy. The interviews revealed a wide disconnect between official government data showing an increasingly robust economy and persistent pessimism among Americans. While Democrats touted the economy’s strength, many voters said the economy as they knew it was broken.