the highest reading since 2001, when the university first started asking the question.

Americans may not be sold on President Donald Trump, but their view of the economy has dramatically improved. A new poll from Quinnipiac University this week found that 66 percent of likely U.S. voters describe the recent state of the economy as "excellent" or "good" — the highest reading since 2001, when the university first started asking the question.

That's a 27-point swing since a Quinnipiac poll taken right after Trump's election in 2016, when only 2 percent of Americans thought the economy was "excellent." Historical data from Quinnipiac polls demonstrate a stark contrast between the economies inherited by Trump and former President Barack Obama. As the U.S. struggled to dig itself out of the financial crisis in March 2009, only 3 percent of Americans said the economy was "good." Zero percent thought it was "excellent."

Still, Obama gets much of the credit from voters for the improving state of the economy, although Trump is getting more as time goes by. According to the latest Quinnipiac poll, 49 percent of Americans said Obama deserves the kudos, down from 67 percent in March 2017. What was a 48-point gap in March of last year has been whittled down to just a nine-point lead over Trump. However, the gap was narrower in recent months, and the new poll shows a swing back toward Obama.