“It’s the economy, stupid” - Voters wanted lower prices - A year after Trump’s win, they’re still waiting

When voters put Donald Trump back in the White House in 2024, many did so not because they believed everything would magically improve overnight, but because they believed his lies. Exit polls suggested that the main worries for people was the prices of groceries, utilities and housing, with Trump promising to bring them all down. So far, all he’s done is repeated how much he loves to say ‘groceries’ and claim he invented the word ‘equalising’.

OK, I can hear you saying it: that’s not everything he’s done in his second term. Let’s be fair.

There is also the Epstein controversy, the government shutdown, the SNAP wipeout, Medicare cuts, ICE raids, international provocation, tariffs, talk of a potential third term, pardoning offenders, knocking down the White House... shall I continue?

Despite the tragedy that is his second term, Trump’s message remains that the economy is “booming” and that prosperity is just around the corner. But for large swathes of the electorate, reality is different: food, rent and energy costs continue to move on an upwards trajectory. The Associated Press notes consumer price increases remain around 3%, placing them above the target set by the Federal Reserve and highlighting why topics such as affordability have helped people like Zohran Mamdani win New York.

And he was not alone: in the latest round of state and local elections, Democrats made significant gains in places like Virginia and New Jersey, largely by homing in on affordability rather than culture wars or immigration, sending a clear message that Republicans are failing to deliver.

The link is clear: in Virginia about half of voters rated the economy their top concern; of those, around six in ten backed the Democrat. Meanwhile, the president’s backwards ideology on illegal immigration and crime as key issues failed to resonate to the same degree as price hikes and cost-of-living worries.

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A year ago, Trump won while sitting on a throne of economic lies, telling endless tales of how he would give back what Biden ‘took away’, and who he introduced from across the border to do so. Now, it seems that Trump has been found out.

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