Political strategist demands to know how long Trump can 'keep blaming the last guy'

U.S. President Donald Trump reacts as he welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (not pictured) at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 29, 2025. REUTERS Kevin Lamarque

CNN Chief political analyst David Axelrod knows why Democrats are celebrating the loss of a seat in ruby red Tennessee, and it has everything to do with President’s Donald Trump’s slipping grasp of economic reality.

Republican Matt Van Epps beat Democratic Challenger Aftyn Behn by about nine points, which actually amounted to a 13-point swing in Democrats’ favor, considering Trump won the same district by 22 points.

“Republicans came in like gangbusters at the end to save Van Epps,” said Axelrod, and that was because they had to thanks to Trump’s awful leadership. Axelrod said he did not want to be in Van Epps’ seat if Republicans in the House and Senate let affordable insurance subsidies expire in December.

“How will members of Congress … deal with this issue of these expiring tax credits for the Affordable Care Act? The Republican in the race [Van Epps], his ads at the end mirrored the Democrat’s on affordability and health care. But … now are they actually going to let these exponential increases in premiums go through? If they do, they do it at great peril. … [Voters] are going to look at it and they're going to say ‘they didn't do anything. And now I'm paying.’”

Axelrod also warned Republicans that few voters are buying Trump’s excuse for rising costs, claiming it is somehow still former President Joe Biden’s fault.

“There's this fake narrative that the Democrats talk about affordability. They just say the word. It doesn't mean anything to anybody,” said Trump at a recent press conference. “I inherited the worst inflation in history. There was no affordability. Nobody could afford anything. The word affordability is a con job by the Democrats.”

“Look, I don't know whether he wasn't paying attention during the last election, but this is exactly how Joe Biden got in trouble, by insisting that the economy was strong, that the inflation issue was under control, when people were going to the grocery store and paying their rent and their insurance and all of their costs, and they saw in real life — in real time — what was happening,” said Axelrod. “And it's still happening. We're no better off on inflation today than we were the day [Trump] walked in. And how long can you keep blaming the last guy for your problems?”

“I think he recognizes that he promised to very quickly bring down prices,” Axelrod added. “That was his offer in the election. He's failed, and that's the reason his numbers are tumbling more than anything else.”

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