Trump is running out of time to craft an economic agenda for reelection as Biden gains ground

Trump is running out of time to craft an economic agenda for reelection as Biden gains ground

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Oval Office at the White House after receiving a briefing from top law enforcement officials on operations against the MS-13 gang in Washington, DC, on July 15, 2020.

Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty Images

WASHINGTON - There is one outlier amid all the gloom of President Donald Trump's cratering poll numbers this summer: Public approval of his handling of the economy. 

According to Real Clear Politics' polling average, voters currently disapprove by double digits of Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic, his handling of foreign policy and the general direction of the country. When it comes to the economy, though, even in the midst of a historically rapid recession and an unemployment rate of 11%, Trump remains above water.

But even that edge is disappearing, with just under four months until Election Day. New polling released Wednesday by CNBC/Change Research found that only 46% of likely voters approved of Trump's handling of the economy, versus 54% who disapproved.

The poll also showed a dramatic shift over the past two weeks in how independent voters grade the president's handling of the economy. In late June, the same poll showed Trump's economic approval ratings underwater by eight