WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump would prefer that voters not worry about inflation.
asserted
voters → prefer → inflation
But it’s hard for them to ignore.
asserted
them → ’ → ?
Filling up a basic Ford F-150 truck now costs about $100, up $30 from a year ago.
asserted
Filling → fill → 100
Mortgage rates have jumped to levels that have depressed home sales.
asserted
that → jump → sales
And for the past 12 months, consumer prices have risen faster than paychecks, making the average family poorer.
asserted
family → rise → paychecks
One week before midterm elections that will serve as a referendum on his second term, Trump is struggling to deliver on his campaign promise to bring down costs, even as he insists the country has entered an economic “golden age.”
asserted
country → serve → age
The same frustration that powered his comeback two years ago could now cost Republicans control of Congress.
uncertain
that → power → Congress
“Our nation is doing better now than ever before,” Trump insists while campaigning, vowing that interest rates and oil prices will plunge once the war with Iran — which he started — comes to an end.
asserted
he → do → end
The word “affordability,” he says, is nothing but “a con job by the Democrats,” adding that “it doesn’t mean anything to anybody.”
asserted
it → say → anybody
Trump’s rosy rhetoric meets voters’ reality
That rhetoric comes as voters say they’re struggling to afford basics like fuel and groceries and as they blame Trump for higher costs, pointing to the Republican president’s aggressive tariff policies and the ongoing, unpopular war with Iran.
asserted
they → meet → Iran
Record-high diesel prices, in particular, have driven up shipping and farming costs, creating trouble for Republicans in typically conservative states such as Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and Texas, where Democrats appear uniquely competitive in races that will shape Trump’s final two years in office.
asserted
that → drive → office
“The costs of things are absolutely the first thing people talk about, but also it’s their pay not keeping up with the cost,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler.
asserted
Shuler → talk → cost
“It’s a double whammy.”
asserted
It → ’ → ?
Prices at the pump have become a preeminent issue for voters.
asserted
Prices → become → voters
“People hate paying more money for gas, and the prices have gone up a lot,” said Stephen Moore, who has previously advised the president on the economy.
asserted
who → pay → economy
“It’s frustrating because Trump’s done so many good things for the economy.
asserted
Trump → ’ → economy
But with the Iran situation, that’s really had a big effect on the economy, and Republicans may pay a high price for that.”
uncertain
Republicans → have → that
Misty Reeder, 48, said she considers herself “in the middle” politically but picked all Democrats on her ballot in Easley, South Carolina.
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herself → say → Easley
“I’ve noticed that things have been getting a lot harder,” said Reeder, who receives disability payments.
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who → notice → payments
“You hear about it everywhere you go.”
asserted
you → hear → it
In the six years that she and her husband have been renting their home, Reeder said their rent had increased by hundreds of dollars.
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rent → rent → dollars
“Something’s gotta give,” she said.
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she → get → ?
“It’s like a dam — the pressure’s too much, and it’s going to break.”
asserted
it → ’ → dam
Sandra Capell, 69, said she wants “to see some change” when it comes to the economy even though she voted Republican in Easley, which is part of South Carolina’s conservative Upstate region.
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which → say → region
“I think everybody is kind of suffering when it comes to groceries, gas, everything really,” she said.
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she → think → groceries
“I’m looking at the Republican Party to jump on the wagon, get in the saddle and let’s bring it back.”
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’s → look → it
Beti Rosales, 47, said higher prices have taken a toll on her family’s Mexican restaurant in Allentown, Pennsylvania, part of the Lehigh Valley that has seesawed between the parties in recent years.
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that → say → years
Limes and avocados cost more than before.
asserted
Limes → cost → more
So does the plumber who’s occasionally needed.
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who → do → ?
Two years ago, Rosales decided to give Trump and Republicans a chance, hoping for relief from inflation.
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Rosales → decide → inflation
“The reality now is that it actually didn’t get better,” she said.
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she → get → ?
“It actually got worse.
asserted
It → get → ?
The prices of everything have increased.”
asserted
prices → increase → everything
Rosales is now considering voting Democratic in the midterms.
asserted
Rosales → consider → midterms
“Maybe fresh new faces might make a difference?” she said.
uncertain
she → make → difference
Trump promised he’d bring prices down
While running in 2024, Trump hammered President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent in the election, for high inflation, which climbed as high as 9.1% in June 2022.
asserted
which → promise → June
He promised voters he would lower gasoline prices and unlock roaring growth.
asserted
he → promise → growth
“With your vote in this election, I will end inflation,” he vowed.
asserted
he → end → inflation
In less than two years, Trump has aggressively remodeled the U.S. economy.
asserted
Trump → remodel → economy
He’s slapped double-digit tariffs on many trading partners — including the European Union, India, Japan, Canada and Mexico — and sparked trade wars with allies.
asserted
He → slap → allies
…and 34 more, not listed.
The Aporia
