Overview
- Administration officials say they are advising the president to acknowledge voters’ strain, adding “policy time” to his schedule and considering more domestic travel, fewer overseas trips and coordinated affordability messaging.
- Trump has floated $2,000 tariff rebate checks, pressure on meatpackers over prices and a 50-year mortgage option, proposals that some aides and outside economists say are unlikely to quickly ease broad cost pressures.
- University of Michigan data show the worst-ever reading on current economic conditions since 1951, and CNN/SSRS and CBS polling find most Americans blame Trump’s policies for worsening the economy and their own finances.
- In a Fox News interview, Trump said “costs are way down,” predicted $2 gasoline and called negative polls “fake,” claims that conflict with BLS inflation data and AAA’s $3.07 national average for regular gas.
- Analysts connect Democrats’ recent election gains to affordability concerns and warn of a near-term economic soft patch with slowing wage growth and potential layoffs that could deepen Republican political risks into 2026.