Economy approval rating for President Bush - July 04.
Polling data from the Washington Post during the 2004 presidential campaign. See the September 2004 update.
Two days before planes crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Americans were tied -- 48 percent to 48 percent -- on the President's handling of the economy. The next Washington Post poll to ask "Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bush is handling the economy?" saw a phenomenal spike in approval ratings, to 72 percent. However, the trend since that time has been downward.
On July 11, 2004, only 45 percent of those polled approved of how President Bush is handling the economy and 53 percent disapproved.
See related statistics on the economy.