Donald Trump's second term is facing a mounting crisis as the cost of living reasserts itself as the top concern for American voters, according to a new analysis. The president has been accused of being out of touch, denying the existence of an 'affordability problem' during a chaotic cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Trump claimed affordability was a 'hoax started by Democrats' and that the word 'doesn't mean anything to anybody'. His billionaire-laden cabinet nodded in agreement, but polls suggest the public is not convinced.
Recent surveys paint a grim picture for Trump. A JL Partners poll for the Daily Mail shows his approval rating has dropped from 55% to 45% in two months. Nearly 60% of Americans say holidays, rent and mortgage payments are unaffordable, while 55% cannot afford grocery bills. A Politico poll found 46% of Americans, including 37% of 2024 Trump voters, consider the cost of living the worst they have ever seen, with 46% directly blaming Trump. A Gallup poll puts his overall approval at just 36%, with 60% disapproving.
Despite Trump's claims that grocery prices are falling, data shows they are still rising by 2.7% year-on-year, with staples like beef up 15%, coffee 21%, and eggs 11%. Inflation remains at 3%, the same level he inherited in January. His tariff policies have been blamed for pushing prices back up. Meanwhile, a White House aide admitted that even Trump's MAGA base is struggling, saying: 'The blue-collar families at MAGA’s core see the truth every week at the supermarket check-out.'
Adding to the turmoil, Trump's boast of ending foreign wars was undermined by an aide who described his recent Fifa 'Peace Prize' as a farce. The president received the award during the World Cup draw, but critics note that conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East continue. The aide's comments, made anonymously, suggest internal discord over Trump's foreign policy achievements.
