Small businesses reveal how they feel about the incoming Trump administration
After Donald Trump’s victory in November, small business owners are more hopeful than they have been in years, a new poll shows.
Job Creators Network Foundation (JCNF) regularly surveys 400 small business owners to see how they feel about economic and policy issues in the news.
The results show that small business owners’ feelings about the U.S. economy have reached their highest level since July 2021.
It found that more than six in 10 small business owners are optimistic that the new Trump administration will be positive for Main Street.
The survey also found that these owners voted for Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris by as much as a margin.
They supported Trump by 51 percent to Harris’ 34 percent, a huge margin of 17 points, the survey found.
Additionally, the business owners shared their top three priorities for Trump’s next term, many of which were similar to his various campaign promises.
They are working to secure the border, balance the budget, and make permanent Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which expires at the end of 2025.
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a Time magazine Person of the Year event at the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in New York. A new poll from JCNF shows that a majority of small business owners voted for Trump and are hopeful about how his second term will impact their businesses.
Donald Trump works behind the counter during a visit to McDonalds in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania, USA, October 20, 2024
Donald Trump talks while visiting the family-owned Sprankle Neighborhood Market in Kittanning, Pennsylvania
However, if the TCJA expires, 37 percent of respondents would consider delaying or cutting back on growth activities, while 24 percent said they would reduce work hours, the survey found.
“The small business community is clearly excited about what the incoming Trump administration could mean for the economy,” JCNF President Elaine Parker told DailyMail.com in a statement.
“It will be a relief after four years of policies that have thrown cold water on small business hiring and expansion.”
“Hopefully, the incoming White House and its allies in Congress can meet this moment with policy victories ranging from making the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent to cutting red tape.”
The findings from the November survey are largely consistent with polls taken just months before the election.
In September, former President Trump had a 12-point lead over Vice President Kamala Harris among small businesses across the country, according to another JCNF survey.
Specifically, 51 percent of employers responded to the survey saying the ex-president will better help small businesses, while 39 percent said Harris.
Comparing the November and September results, Trump’s support among small business owners remains the same, while enthusiasm for Harris is at an all-time low.
Donald Trump visits the Sprankle Neighborhood Market, where he spoke with the company’s owners
Vice President Kamala Harris holds a bag of Doritos chips as Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz looks on at the Sheetz supermarket during a campaign stop
Support for the Democrat fell 5 percent from September to November, from 39 percent who said they would vote for her to just 34 percent who said they actually voted for Harris.
Tackling persistent inflation, lowering the cost of everyday goods and improving the economy were all top concerns among voters this past cycle.
In fact, a Gallup survey found that the economy was the single most important issue in the 2024 election.
That poll showed that the importance of the economy among voters was the highest since the Great Recession in 2008.