Overview
- The White House scrapped or lowered tariffs on items such as beef, coffee, bananas, tomatoes, oranges, cocoa, spices and some fertilizers, and is floating a $2,000 tariff rebate and 50-year mortgages to show action on costs.
- Economists and multiple outlets report companies are passing tariff costs to consumers, with inflation moving from about 2.3% in April to roughly 3% by September.
- At a private White House dinner, Trump forecast 5–6% growth and asked top CEOs for ideas on affordability, while several attendees later expressed doubts and described a ‘yes men’ environment.
- Voter sentiment has soured, with Democrats winning on cost-of-living concerns and polls showing weak marks for Trump on the economy, including 36% overall approval and 33% on economic handling in AP-NORC data and 54% saying conditions are worsening in YouGov findings.
- Conservative allies are publicly dissenting, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene accusing Trump of ‘gaslighting’ on prices as critics call for a sharper domestic focus following a painful shutdown that strained lower-income households.