An offhand comment Donald Trump made on the White House South Lawn before departing for China is causing no small amount of heartburn for Republicans already worried about the midterm elections.
Asked if “Americans’ financial situations” were pushing him to make a deal to end the war with Iran, the president replied, “Not even a little bit. The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran — they can’t have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing — we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.”
Trump’s blithe dismissal of the economic strain Americans are under now hangs over the already reeling Republicans, The Hill is reporting, with one prominent GOP lawmaker balking at being responsible for the president’s remarks.
‘The timing could not be worse politically,” The Hill’s Julia Manchester wrote on Thursday, pointing out that economic indicators are forcing Republicans to answer for rising costs while more Americans grow frustrated with their deteriorating financial situations.
While Trump and Republicans have periodically blamed inflation on the Biden administration’s economic policies, that argument grows weaker with each passing month.
“President Trump’s been president for a year and a half now, so it’s his economy, even though he inherited a bad one from the Biden administration with respect to rising prices and inflation,” Rep. James Comer (R-KY) told The Hill.
“Whoever is president’s going to take it on the chin with respect to inflation and affordability,”
A CNN survey released Monday found 77 percent of Americans — including 55 percent of Republicans and 81 percent of independents — reported that Trump’s policies have driven up the cost of living in their communities. The same poll found 75
One Republican strategist told The Hill they appreciated Trump’s acknowledgment that political considerations won’t dictate military operations overseas. However, they argued the president needs to do far better at recognizing Americans’ economic struggles.
“People are hurting back at home, and they’re paying the price for it and they’re sacrificing for it,” the GOP strategist said, referring to the Iran war’s economic impact.
“I think that somewhat tacit hat tip to an understanding of the environment and what’s actually happening out here, I think people would generally get that. But by ignoring them or essentially saying ‘no that’s not the case, the economy is great because the stock market is doing great,’ that’s not meeting where voters are at.”
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