On Friday, one of the top hosts at Fox News warned Republicans that voters are “just not” buying President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that all is well with the economy. This is according to Fox business analyst Stuart Varney, who asserted, “Voters are not picking up on his positive economic message. They’re just not. Why?”
“The president is saying that we’re doing great, but don’t tell me we’re doing great,” complained Varney’s guest. “Explain why.” In his estimation, the White House should take advice offered recently by veteran Republican strategist Karl Rove. “Focus. I don’t want to hear about the Kennedy Center. I don’t want to hear about a triumphal arch.” He asserts that if Trump has good news about the economy, he should explain it to voters. What’s more, he said, Trump should “acknowledge that their pain at the pump is real. Their pain in the pantry is real. The chaos at the kitchen table is real.”
This plea comes as the Republican Party faces historic losses in the upcoming midterms and voters express that their top frustration is the economic woes caused by Trump’s war with Iran. The president has been consistently dismissive of such concerns, calling affordability complaints that arose even before the war a Democratic “hoax,” and telling reporters on Thursday that he rates himself “an A+ on the government, on economics, on everything.”
According to Politico, “Trump has twice this week appeared to blame his own team for failing to communicate all the positives he’s achieved since taking office nearly two years ago. On Thursday, he added that ‘the press isn’t treating us fairly.’ But with stubbornly persistent inflation, gas above $4.40 a gallon and mortgage rates above 7 percent, even Republicans in ruby-red states are facing headwinds that could blow them from office. The president’s grade comes as affordability remains a major vulnerability for Republicans on the ballot this November. An AP-NORC poll released Thursday found just 26 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy and 17 percent approve of his handling of the cost of living. Sixty-five percent said Trump’s policies are contributing to higher-than-usual prices.”
As a result, analysts predict that Democrats are almost certain to flip the House, and Republicans are increasingly worried that their majority in the Senate is threatened, even seeming to all but give up on key Senate seats. On Friday, for example, it was reported that the GOP is cancelling tens of millions of dollars in ads, apparently giving up on retaining the state in favor of shifting money to races it feels are still winnable. And despite Trump’s attempt to dismiss economic concerns, Republicans are talking about it openly.
“Right now the races are more about affordability issues,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD). “It’s the price of diesel in places like Iowa and Kansas and Nebraska and the Midwest, Minnesota. I think that’s the issue, and what’s happening is Iran has trumped everything else that’s going on.”