There is much going on in our great republic, very little of it good. Political violence runs rampant and authoritarian rule is on the rise.
But national public opinion polls continue to demonstrate that the sad state of the economy is still President Trump’s Achilles heel. Congressional Democrats have ably addressed this economic imperative in their fight over federal spending and the possibility of a federal government shutdown.
Congressional Democrats have wisely chosen Capitol Hill as their battleground to fight on. They have bet on public concerns about staggering medical costs as their focus for fighting the battle of the 2026 budget. House and Senate Democrats overwhelmingly opposed a Republican continuing resolution which maintains the sorry spending status quo. Instead, my party bravely supported a budget plan that would restore Medicaid funds and reduce health insurance premiums in the Affordable Care Act.
Candidate Trump promised last year that he would reduce prices on day one of his second term. We are now eight months into his second presidency and prices are still rising. Last month, inflation rose by 2.9 percent while job growth slowed. The rising cost of health care is increasing even faster, at a rate of 3.4 percent in the last year. We are heading into a long cold winter that will accelerate home-heating prices.
Then there’s the dreaded “R” word. Moody’s Chief Economist Mark Zandi believes some parts of the nation are already in recession, with more to follow as the economy continues to cool down.
The data from a new national survey of adult Americans conducted by Yougov.com for The Economist illustrates the toll that inflation has taken on Trump’s standing. His job rating is the lowest it has been during his second term. Only 39 percent of the public approves of his performance as president while 57 percent disapprove for a net job rating of minus-18 points.
His scores on the economy are dreadful. His rating on jobs is underwater by 22 points and he’s down on inflation by 34 points. His scores for handling crime and limiting immigration (minus-7 points) are bad but not as horrible as his performance on jobs and prices. His failure to keep his promise to fight inflation has finally caught up to him. Only three in ten Americans believe he is honest and trustworthy.
Trump’s poor scores on his handling of the economy give Democrats leverage in the budget battle even with Republican control of both houses of Congress. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) can pass the cruel Republican spending plan with a simple majority. The situation in the Senate is more complicated. The Republicans with only 53 senators need at least seven Democratic votes to avoid a filibuster. If the Republicans can’t find 60 votes to pass a continuing resolution, the federal government will shut down at midnight on Sept. 30.
As the midterm elections get closer, the Democratic advantage grows. Democrats in the survey are significantly more likely to disapprove of presidential performance than Republicans are to approve. But the real red flag for vulnerable Republican congressional candidates is that Trump’s job rating with political independents is 36 points underwater. That kind of a deficit is a major handicap for congressional Republicans headed into the midterm elections in 14 months.
Trump’s broken promise to fight inflation and his callous insistence on maintaining spending cuts in health care for hard working American families in his big bad Republican budget will create a government shutdown. Republican intransigence will further disrupt an economy which is already reeling from soaring grocery and health care costs and a decline in jobs. Meanwhile plutocrats and aristocrats prosper and bankers and billionaires keep their big tax breaks.
A powerful and power hungry but unpopular president continues to fly high and defy political gravity. It’s time for congressional Democrats to pull Trump back down to Earth with a firm stand on Capitol Hill.
Brad Bannon is a national Democratic strategist and CEO of Bannon Communications Research which polls for Democrats, labor unions and progressive issue groups. He hosts the popular progressive podcast on power, politics and policy, Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon.
