Economy a preeminent issue for midterm voters
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President Donald Trump would prefer that voters not worry about inflation. But it's hard for them to ignore.
Filling up a basic Ford F-150 truck now costs about $100, up $30 from a year ago. Mortgage rates have jumped to levels that have depressed home sales. And for the past 12 months, consumer prices have risen faster than paychecks, making the average family poorer.
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." The same frustration that powered his comeback two years ago could now cost Republicans control of 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.
The word "affordability," he says, is nothing but "a con job by the Democrats," adding that "it doesn't mean anything to anybody."
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.
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.
"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. "It's a double whammy."
Prices at the pump have become a preeminent issue for 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. "It's frustrating because Trump's done so many good things for the 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."
Misty Reeder, 48, said she considers herself "in the middle" politically but picked all Democrats on her ballot in Easley, South Carolina.
"I've noticed that things have been getting a lot harder," said Reeder, who receives disability payments. "You hear about it everywhere you go."
In the six years that she and her husband have been renting their home, Reeder said their rent had increased by hundreds of dollars.
"Something's gotta give," she said. "It's like a dam -- the pressure's too much, and it's going to break."
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. Limes and avocados cost more than before. So does the plumber who's occasionally needed.
Two years ago, Rosales decided to give Trump and Republicans a chance, hoping for relief from inflation.
"The reality now is that it actually didn't get better," she said. "It actually got worse. The prices of everything have increased."