Americans Split on Best President for Finances

With the 2020 presidential election less than two months away, Americans are focusing more closely on the issues that matter most to them. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic crisis in the U.S. have been detrimental to the personal finances of millions in the country, and a new survey shows how voters view each presidential ticket in terms of how they'll personally benefit financially.

A new survey from Bankrate shows U.S. voters are virtually split on which candidate they think will benefit their personal finances more. According to the survey, 35 percent of respondents said the Trump/Pence ticket will be better for their personal finances while 39 percent responded with the Biden/Harris ticket. 26 percent said they either didn’t know or neither candidate was best for their personal finance future.

The survey also gauged how voters’ personal finances have fared under the Trump administration since 2017. A quarter of respondents said it has gotten better under Trump, a quarter said it has gotten worse and 40 percent said it has stayed about the same. Diving into the demographic differences shows that 31 percent of white respondents said their finances have gotten better compared to just 16 percent of Black respondents. Those with relatively high incomes also reported their finances have gotten better under Trump more often than those with relatively low incomes.

Despite the ongoing pandemic and uncertain global economic future, the survey shows that a majority of Americans believe their personal finance situation will either stay the same or get better in the next year. Just 13 percent said they expect their personal finances to get worse, with Hispanics responding with the highest rate of 20 percent.

According to the survey, the president’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has left many American’s much less likely to vote for him in November. 34 percent of respondents said Trump’s response has made them much less likely to vote for him compared to just 18 percent who said they’re much more likely to vote for him.