Hassett on CNN dismisses polls on the economy: “A classic Democrat move”; Republican Senator Kennedy: “The cost of living is the biggest issue”

The White House’s top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, said on Sunday on CNN‘s “State of the Union” that he does not trust polls showing widespread American dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy, as Barron’s reports. The statement comes as U.S. stock futures prepare to begin trading on Sunday evening, with the country entering the last 30 days before the November midterm elections.

Hassett called the polls “probably partisan” ahead of the elections, in which Republicans are fighting to hold their majorities in both chambers of Congress. “The fact that there are probably partisan pollsters telling us people are really, really depressed is a classic Democrat move,” he told CNN. “And I just don’t believe it.”

An Associated Press–NORC poll, published on Thursday, showed that 82% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, while 73% disapprove of his handling of the economy — up from 66% in July. A separate Quinnipiac poll found that 62% of respondents disapprove of the president’s handling of the economy.

Asked when gasoline will return to $3 a gallon — the national average price was $4.37 on Sunday, according to AAA, from $4.147 a month earlier and $3.140 a year earlier — Hassett replied: “Americans look at their wallets and react accordingly.”

Not all Republicans agree with the thesis that the polls are rigged. Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, a guest on NBC‘s “Meet the Press”, said the elections will be close and that the cost of living is the biggest issue for voters. “Telling people not to trust their lying checkbooks won’t work,” Kennedy said.

The oil price remains high: WTI crude closed on Friday at $91.26 a barrel, while Brent was at $102.61, according to Barron’s. Diesel costs an average of $6.343 a gallon. The Dow Jones index lost 651 points last week (-1.3%), while the S&P 500 fell 0.3%.

The coming week brings the minutes of the Federal Reserve’s mid-September meeting, on Wednesday — where policymakers voted unanimously to raise the rate by a quarter of a percentage point — and the University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey, on Friday.