Inflation and fuel costs put Republicans at risk a week before US midterms

Left · 2One week before the midterm elections, which the Associated Press describes as a referendum on President Donald Trump's second term, Trump is struggling to deliver on his promise to bring down costs. 1 2 Left · 2The AP reports that filling a basic Ford F-150 now costs about $100, up $30 from a year ago, that mortgage rates have risen to levels that have depressed home sales, and that consumer prices have outpaced paychecks over the past 12 months. 1 2 Left · 2Inflation was 3% when Trump took office and reached 3.7% last month, according to the AP; Trump has claimed it is under 2% and "under control". 1 2

Left · 2Trump says the country has entered an economic "golden age", that "Our nation is doing better now than ever before", and that interest rates and oil prices will fall once the war with Iran ends. He calls the word "affordability" "a con job by the Democrats". 1 2 Left · 2Voters quoted by the AP blame Trump for higher costs, pointing to his tariffs and the ongoing, unpopular war with Iran, which the AP says he started. Record-high diesel prices have raised shipping and farming costs, and Democrats appear competitive in typically conservative states such as Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and Texas. 1 2 Left · 1AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler called the rising costs combined with lagging pay "a double whammy". Stephen Moore, a former Trump economic adviser, said Republicans "may pay a high price" for the Iran situation. He wished they would talk more about rising median incomes and a record-setting stock market, while acknowledging that "people are feeling stressed out financially". 1

Left · 1Voters offered mixed views. Misty Reeder in Easley, South Carolina, voted for all Democrats. Beti Rosales, who owns a restaurant in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is considering voting Democratic after giving Trump a chance two years ago. Renee Blood in Round Rock, Texas, said the economy has "improved quite well" and plans to vote Republican. 1 Left · 1Democrats are using the cost of living to pressure vulnerable Republicans and put districts Trump won by double digits in play. Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff called Trump "failed", and candidates including Cait Conley, Roy Cooper and Abdul El-Sayed accuse Republicans of serving billionaire donors, with El-Sayed attacking the cost of the Iran war. 1 Left · 2Republicans have tried to portray Democrats as extreme, pointing to a rising populist wing that includes Democratic socialists. The AP notes that continued economic growth and low unemployment have been overshadowed by inflation, and that Trump has imposed double-digit tariffs on many trading partners and cut income taxes. 1 2