New York Times: High Inflation Haunts Trump and Republicans on Eve of Election
For Mr. Trump, that previous source of political strength now threatens to topple Republicans in 2026. The fate of the party’s control of Congress may well hinge on the depth of voters’ fury with the rising cost of living — and the president’s unmet promises to do something about it.
The concern among Republicans has been evident as Mr. Trump crisscrosses the country in an 11th-hour campaign sprint. He has tried to present the economy as strong, growing and rife with new investment, while downplaying the fact that inflation has clearly worsened under his party’s stewardship.
As a result, Mr. Trump’s message contrasted with the experience of voters, who see the harsh realities of a high-cost economy every day — when they fill up their gas tanks, shop for groceries, pay their health insurance premiums, receive their credit card bills and confront the difficulties of homeownership.
Having weathered almost two years of high tariffs, geopolitical discord and other economic shocks, voters seem inclined to exact another round of political vengeance at the ballot box, or so the latest polls suggest. Depending on the extent of that rebuke, it could strip Republicans of their congressional majority and curtail Mr. Trump’s economic ambitions for the rest of his presidency.
[M]any staples of American life — gasoline, groceries, health insurance, mortgages and more — have become more expensive this year. Overall, the price increases have also outpaced workers’ hourly wages, according to the government, compounding the financial toll.
But in a sign of Republicans’ vulnerability, the president has ramped up his appearances in the final stretch of the election, even appearing in states like South Carolina and Texas, which were once seen as safer political terrain for Republicans. Having previously described the economy as a “public relations” problem, the president mounted a heightened effort to recast its strength.
“You know, we got inflation down,” he claimed at a rally in Michigan on Sunday, while greatly understating the nation’s inflation rate.
Two days later, in Lubbock, Texas, Mr. Trump insisted that gas prices had fallen, even though they were more than $1 per gallon higher than they were on the day he took office, according to AAA. By Thursday, he was in Rock Hill, S.C., hailing what he described as better-than-expected growth numbers and an economy that was “booming.”
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