“I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation” –Donald J. Trump
By Republican midterm messaging is being hampered by the facts that 1)Trump’s policies are directly responsible for making things more expensive after he won on a promise to make things cheaper, 2)nobody likes them on their own merits, and 3)as his inhibitions decline even further he can’t even pretend to care at this point:
Republican senators came to the White House on Monday with an urgent message: We must address voters’ concerns about high costs.
Sens. John Kennedy of Louisiana, Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Bernie Moreno of Ohio pressed President Trump to throw his weight behind legislation to ease the cost of homeownership, one of the central issues fueling Americans’ economic anxieties. “The American people are crying out for us to address the cost of living,” Kennedy told reporters later.
Trump embraced the bill, tapping out a Truth Social post Monday night urging Congress to pass it. But it wasn’t long before the president complicated congressional Republicans’ efforts to refocus on the economy.
Asked Tuesday whether Americans’ financial situation was a motivating factor in reaching a deal to end the war in Iran, Trump said: “not even a little bit,” adding that he was focused on ensuring Tehran doesn’t get a nuclear weapon. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation.”
The moment encapsulated the Republicans’ conundrum. Trump’s war in Iran has exacerbated Americans’ anxieties about costs, as prices at the pump have surged. But even as Trump’s congressional allies wrestle with keeping him focused on the economy, they are struggling to agree on a strategy to address voters’ concerns.
Every frontline Dem campaign that doesn’t run at least one ad featuring Trump saying that is guilty of extreme political malpractice. Speaking of malpractice, it’s amazing how quickly Trump has squandered the polling advantage Republicans gained on the economy during the Biden years, even granting that it was mostly unearned:
My guess is that a summer of $5 gas is not going to turn that around.