(DCNF)—MSNBC’s Willie Geist confronted Democrat Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark Wednesday on why President Donald Trump is more popular than her own party.
Geist cited a survey conducted by ABC News and The Washington Post which found that 37% of Americans trust Trump to do a “better job handling the country’s problems,” while 30% trust Democrats. While Clark said on “Morning Joe” that Democrats are the ones “fighting” for the American people, Geist pointed out that the public does not seem to see it that way.
“In a Washington Post/ABC News poll, Donald Trump’s approval rating was at 37%, extraordinarily low about handling the country’s main problems. Democrats, though, [are] even farther down at 30%. How do you explain that number and what do Democrats need to do better [at]?” Geist asked.
“Listen, this is where we are. Donald Trump made a promise that on day one of his presidency, he was gonna reduce costs for Americans, whether that’s groceries or housing, or child care, transpiration [and] energy. He has done just the opposite and what Democrats are doing is we are standing strong in saying ‘come back and focus on the American people. Put them in the center of the work you are doing. Make sure that you are doing everything you can to fight for them.’ We’ll reach across the aisle when we can, but what we have been met with in the House GOP is absolute resistance. They are loyal to one person, and that is Donald Trump. And as we watch him and Elon Musk take a chainsaw to the services that the American people deserve and pay for, all in order to enrich those already have great wealth and power. This is where our work is centered.”
Geist then asked Clark to answer his question on why the American public trusts Trump over her party.
“With all that said and I’m understanding your opposition to Donald Trump and much of the public’s opposition to Donald Trump, my question was why do you believe Democrats are rating lower even than President Trump right now if everything you said is true?” Geist asked.
“Yeah, well you know, we are going to continue our focus. Listen, we lost an election. We’re very clear-eyed about that. And we know that we have to show the American people that we are in it for them. But that is where we are. That is the roots of the Democratic Party, and that is the work we’re going to do every single day,” Clark said.
The same poll found that 7 in 10 Americans believe Democrats are “out of touch,” while 6 in 10 said the same about Trump. The president received negative marks on his handling of the economy, immigration and U.S. relations with other countries.
Clark said that Trump “tattered” the U.S. economy, though the consumer price index (CPI) eased beyond economists’ exceptions by only increasing 2.4% in March. The Producer Price Index fell 0.4% in March, marking the first monthly decline since October 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Despite the decreasing prices, Trump has received negative polling on his handling of the economy mainly due to tariffs. A CBS/YouGov poll found that 48% of Americans believe Trump’s economic policies are making them financially “worse off,” while 19% say they are “better off.”
The poll also found that most Americans believe Trump is fulfilling his campaign promises and approve of his deportation programs.
