A prominent voice within the pro-Trump media landscape has issued a stark warning, declaring that former President Donald Trump appears "weak and rudderless" on critical economic issues. The criticism comes in the wake of significant Democratic gains during last week's off-year elections, where concerns over the cost of living proved decisive.
MAGA Media Turns Critical
Sean Davis, the Chief Executive of the hardcore conservative outlet The Federalist, used social media platform X on Sunday to launch a broadside against both Trump and the wider Republican Party. Davis, a regular defender of the former president, expressed deep frustration that the GOP is failing to address the primary concerns of American voters: the continued rise in inflation and the soaring cost of housing.
This critique stands in sharp contrast to Trump's own recent statements. While Democrats successfully centred their campaign on affordability, Trump dismissed the issue as a "con job" invented by his opponents. He insisted that prices are actually decreasing, stating, "The reason I don’t want to talk about affordability — everybody knows it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden."
A Party Adrift and a Base Disillusioned
Davis first directed his ire at congressional Republicans, savaging their current strategy and suggesting their advisors possess an "IQ barely approaching room temperature." He warned that the party currently has "no accomplishments, no plans, and no vision" for the country, a vacuum that could lead to catastrophic defeats in the 2026 midterm elections.
"Why on earth would anyone be excited to go vote for them 12 months right now?" Davis questioned, highlighting a potential enthusiasm gap among the Republican base.
His criticism then turned directly to the former president. He urged Trump to abandon foreign policy distractions and focus exclusively on crafting a comprehensive economic plan to address the affordability crisis crippling younger Americans. "Trump needs to ditch the foreign policy crap and focus all his attention on the domestic economy, which is still not working for the majority of people," Davis wrote. "Right now he looks weak and rudderless. Be mad all you want, but it’s the truth."
The Erosion of the American Dream
Davis pointed to the plight of recent university graduates, who he said are struggling to find work while being saddled with debt. "Where is their path to the American dream right now? Who is giving them a vision of a future worth fighting for?" he asked. He argued that a country cannot remain viable when half its population and all its young people are "locked out of the economy and locked out of ever owning a home."
He concluded with a dire prediction for his own party: "Republicans had better wake up, because right now their nightmare is only beginning if they don’t start making massive changes."
Davis is not alone in his concerns. Other figures in conservative media are also sounding the alarm. Fox Business correspondent Charles Gasparino warned that the Trump administration is "playing with fire" by seemingly accepting 3% inflation as the new normal, calling it a "tax increase on the middle and working class." He suggested the recent election results are a warning sign of public discontent.
This internal criticism is compounded by Trump's own actions, which have at times seemed out of touch with the financial struggles of ordinary citizens. Despite a government shutdown that saw federal workers miss paychecks and low-income Americans risk losing food benefits, Trump embarked on a trip to Asia to broker trade deals. Upon his return, he hosted an opulent Great Gatsby-themed party at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Recent polls indicate that these factors are taking a toll, with Trump's approval ratings, particularly on his handling of the economy and inflation, plummeting significantly.
