Good morning and welcome back to today’s edition of The Wolf’s Den. It’s Tuesday, May 12th and there is new polling and economic data out this morning that should set off alarm bells for every Republican heading into the midterms. The central issue in this election is becoming painfully clear: affordability. The cost of living. Gas prices. Groceries. The basic question of whether working Americans feel like they can get ahead — or whether they are being squeezed from every direction.
And right now, Donald Trump is losing that argument badly.
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Inflation is once again becoming a serious political problem. Consumer prices are rising, energy costs are climbing, and families are feeling it in real time. That is not some abstract economic statistic. That is the price people see every time they fill up their car, pay a utility bill, book travel, or walk through the grocery store.
This is exactly why Trump’s political problem is so severe. He promised Americans he would make life cheaper. He promised he would bring costs down. He promised that his economic agenda would deliver immediate relief for working families.
Instead, voters are watching prices climb again, and many are connecting those costs directly to his leadership.
According to the new polling, 77% of Americans say Trump’s policies have increased their local cost of living, while 65% say his policies have worsened economic conditions. Even more striking, Trump’s approval on the economy has reportedly fallen to around 30%, with roughly 70% disapproving.
In a country where it feels impossible to get people to agree on anything, that level of economic disapproval is staggering.
But here is the most important point: Trump failing does not automatically mean Democrats win.
Democrats have to meet this moment with a clear, serious, practical affordability message. It is not enough to say Trump made life more expensive, even though he has. Democrats need to explain exactly how they will lower costs, create jobs, expand opportunity, and make life more manageable for working families.
That is why an affordability agenda matters so much. Democrats should be talking every single day about lowering health care costs, bringing down housing costs, reducing energy costs, expanding access to child care and elder care, and making essentials like groceries more affordable.
Affordability is the number one issue people are talking about at their kitchen tables. Bills are keeping families up at night. Voters are demanding real action to make their life a bit easier.
This is where Democrats can win the argument.
Not with slogans. Not with outrage alone. But with a forward-looking message that says: Republicans broke this economy for working people, and Democrats are ready to fix it.
For those of you interested in the moderate Democrats approach to delivering on affordability, I have attached here a link to the New Democrats agenda. You should take a look.
The midterms are going to be fought on affordability. Trump knows it. Republicans know it. And voters are already showing us they are furious.
Now Democrats need to make the choice crystal clear: Trump and Republicans made your life more expensive. Democrats are fighting to bring your costs down.
-Ethan
