President Donald Trump’s political stature is so poor right now that he has squandered the Republican Party’s advantage on two major issues that almost always favour the GOP: the economy and national security.

A Reuters-Ipsos poll this week showed Democrats and Republicans virtually tied on “war, foreign conflicts and terrorism.” The GOP led on that issue by 11 points after the 2024 election. Today, 37 percent of US adults say Democrats have a better approach, compared to 36 percent who say the GOP does.

Fox News polling a couple weeks back showed something very similar: On national security, 50 percent of registered voters preferred the GOP, to 48 percent who preferred the Democratic Party. That’s compared to a 12-point edge for Republicans in January, before the Iran war.

Both recent findings are within the margin of error.

But the numbers even being that close is basically unheard of.

Fox polling has regularly tested how registered voters compare the two parties on terrorism and national security.

Until the Iran war, Democrats had never even been within double-digits of the Republican Party on either issue.

And then there’s the economy. The most recent Fox survey showed Democrats leading on that issue by nine points, 54 percent-45 percent. That was the biggest Democratic advantage since 2006, when they led by 20 points.