--- title: Independents Are Losing Confidence in the Economy description: Independents saw a big boost in optimism after Trump’s election but their confidence is now at the lowest level of his presidency. canonical: https://time.com/5654375/consumer-confidence-donald-trump/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-08-16T18:36:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:03:52.766Z article:section: Politics og:title: Independents Are Losing Confidence in the Economy. That's Bad News for President Trump og:description: Independents' confidence is now at the lowest level of his presidency og:url: https://time.com/5654375/consumer-confidence-donald-trump/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltceaa8b884f42cf19/698a0180011682092797e114/gettyimages-1161846813.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Independents Are Losing Confidence in the Economy. That's Bad News for President Trump og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Independents Are Losing Confidence in the Economy. That's Bad News for President Trump twitter:description: Independents' confidence is now at the lowest level of his presidency twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltceaa8b884f42cf19/698a0180011682092797e114/gettyimages-1161846813.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Independents Are Losing Confidence in the Economy. That's Bad News for President Trump > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: President Trump Threatens 10% Tariff On Chinese Products [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump Threatens 10% Tariff On Chinese Products](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/DegucpBX.m3u8) (0:57)  _Published 2019-08-02. President Donald Trump intensified pressure Thursday on China to reach a trade deal by saying that beginning Sept. 1, he will impose 10% tariffs on the remaining $300 billion in Chinese imports he hasn’t already taxed._ by [Gregory Korte and Ryan Haar / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Gregory Korte and Ryan Haar / Bloomberg Contributor Aug 16, 2019 6:36 PM UTC  U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during campaign MAGA (Make America Great Again) rally at Southern New Hampshire University Arena, in Manchester, New Hampshire, United States on August 15, 2019\. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index fell in August as republicans and independents are losing faith in the economy at the steepest rates of Donald Trump’s presidency, signaling more trouble for his efforts to make economic growth a centerpiece of his re-election campaign. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during campaign MAGA (Make America Great Again) rally at Southern New Hampshire University Arena, in Manchester, New Hampshire, United States on August 15, 2019\. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index fell in August as republicans and independents are losing faith in the economy at the steepest rates of Donald Trump’s presidency, signaling more trouble for his efforts to make economic growth a centerpiece of his re-election campaign. Anadolu Agency—Anadolu Agency via Getty Images by [Gregory Korte and Ryan Haar / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Gregory Korte and Ryan Haar / Bloomberg Contributor Aug 16, 2019 6:36 PM UTC Republicans and independents are losing faith in the economy at the steepest rates of Donald Trump’s presidency, signaling more trouble for his efforts to make economic growth a centerpiece of his re-election campaign. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index fell in August to its second-lowest level since just before the 2016 election. But a deeper look of the numbers by party affiliation shows warning signs for Trump, the survey’s director says. “What I’d keep my eye on is the independents because whoever wins the majority of independents will win the presidency,” Richard Curtin, director of the Michigan survey, said on a conference call with reporters. Voters historically had higher consumer confidence when a president of their party is in the White House. Independents saw a big boost in optimism after Trump’s election but their confidence is now at the lowest level of his presidency. Curtin said announcements of new tariffs in a trade war with China are weighing on purchasing decisions as consumers expected inflation to eat into the buying power of their paychecks. Trump himself has looked at consumer confidence as a key measure of the effectiveness of his economic policies. “Just out: Consumer Confidence hits highest level since 2000,” he tweeted last October, as the index peaked just before the midterm elections swept Democrats into control of the House of Representatives. On Thursday, Trump downplayed economic indicators suggesting that a recession is becoming more likely, citing earnings by retailers. “The economy is incredible. The consumer — probably above all else, the consumer is doing incredibly,” he told reporters before leaving for a campaign rally in New Hampshire. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5654375/consumer-confidence-donald-trump/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5654375/consumer-confidence-donald-trump/"},"headline":"Independents Are Losing Confidence in the Economy. 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