Americans — it is becoming increasingly clear — are struggling to pay for basic necessities, like groceries, utility bills, health care, housing, and transportation. This is President Donald Trump’s “blind spot” and “Achilles heel,” according to Politico Playbook, based on a just-released Politico poll which calls its findings “a grim portrait of spending constraints.”
“Half of those surveyed said they find it difficult to pay for food. And a majority, 55 percent, blame the Trump administration for the high prices — even as the White House emphasizes its focus on affordability and the economy ahead of the midterm,” Politico noted.
On health care — one of the top concerns along with food and housing — nearly half of American adults find it “difficult” to afford. About one quarter of Americans (27%) have skipped a doctor’s visit or a prescription dose (23%) because of cost.
Pointing to Trump’s Tuesday night Pennsylvania rally, where he read the script and ad libbed his thoughts — “calling affordability a ‘hoax’ — before admitting he’s no longer ‘allowed’ to use the phrase,” Playbook reported that the president “made clear his lack of conviction in the whole premise.”
He mocked the word “affordability,” his own price charts, his pre-prepared speech, and “admitted he was only on tour at the urging of chief of staff Susie Wiles.”
“Trump revived his ill-advised line that it’s fine if parents can’t afford so many toys and pencils for their kids now prices are higher due to tariffs. ‘You don’t need 37 dolls for your daughter,’ he told the crowd. ‘Two or three is nice.'”
This speech was supposed to be — according to the White House — “a positive economic, a focused speech, where he talks about all that he and his team has done to provide bigger paychecks and lower prices for the American people.”
After detailing many other off-script remarks, Playbook reported, “None of this should be surprising. We all know Trump likes to ramble. ‘I love the weave,’ he mused at one point. ‘If I read what’s on the teleprompter, you would all be falling asleep right now.’ On this topic, his heart just ain’t in it.”
“How much does all this matter?” Playbook asked. “Potentially, quite a lot. In theory, this was the first date of a multi-leg tour running right through 2026. If Trump doesn’t hone his messaging on affordability, it’s going to create a lot more ammunition for opponents over the next 11 months.”
