A person attends the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) USA 2026 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, in Grapevine, Texas, U.S., March 27, 2026. REUTERS Daniel Cole
President Donald Trump only has so much time before the November midterms to course correct on his unpopular economy --but voters are getting resigned to that not happening.
"For some voters ... the window for making that case may already be closing," reports MS NOW.
“Whatever he promises, it’s not happening,” said Victoria Partridge, a 59-year-old Uber driver in Las Vegas. She told MS NOW that she voted for Trump in 2024, but now she regrets her vote.
That voter frustration is connecting with Republicans as well, who are seeing Trump neglecting the economy to focus on his various wars and personal vendetta.
“A person close to the Trump administration who was granted anonymity to speak candidly told MS NOW that most staffers have focused on the urgent issues in front of them from week to week, and that panic about the upcoming midterm elections has not yet set in,” MS NOW reported. “The feeling within the White House, according to this person, is that if messaging can get tighter closer to November, and Republicans can all row in the right direction, the GOP has a fighting chance of keeping both majorities.”
They added, “Still, major economic trends have not cooperated with that effort. Rising fuel costs have eaten into — and in many households, eclipsed — gains from the administration’s tax changes, according to economists.”
Overall, Republicans who are in tune with their constituents know they are struggling with high prices and low confidence in the future. Even Senate Majority Leader John Thune has politely expressed concern about Trump’s attitude toward the economy.
“I’d stay focused on the economic issues, pocketbook issues that most Americans care about,” Thune argued. Meanwhile a Republican operative argued that “there’s a real opportunity to focus on what’s already been delivered and clearly lay out what comes next, grounded in tangible results people can see and measure. Democrats struggled to do that because they’ve never had a credible set of solutions. At times, it would be helpful to see that same disciplined focus consistently reflected across the board, which I think we’ll see from the president soon.”
Two conservatives, former Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas) and economist Donald J. Boudreaux of George Mason University told The Wall Street Journal that “if the economy was 'dead' in 2024, there's no evidence Mr. Trump's tariffs have brought it back to life."
They also argued that, despite Trump’s characterization of his tariffs are part of economic nationalism, they are not advancing America’s economic self-interest
"The world isn't deglobalizing,” Gramm and Boudreaux explained. “It's reglobalizing around partners who commit to rules rather than those who wield tariffs like a club." Main data points reinforce this fact, such as how "in 2025 the pace of losing manufacturing jobs accelerated to 1.2%, faster than the decline in 2024 of 0.7 percent. In 2017 manufacturing jobs actually increased by 0.7 percent."
Similarly Gary Cohn, who served as Trump’s chairman of the National Economic Council during his first term, also doubts the country will meet its economic goals in 2026.
"There's nothing more instantaneous to a consumer than standing there holding down the gas nozzle and watching the numbers tick on the pump ... And if they were paying $80 a week ago, and they're paying $85 this week and they were paying $60 a month ago, they know that 'I lost $20 of disposable income in filling up this tank of gas,'" Cohn pointed out last month.
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