NewzWASHINGTON (AP) — President Bill Clinton famously said he could feel voters’ pain over the economy. But these days, when it comes to questions about high prices, President Donald Trump insists that the pain is his. “They hit me with affordability, and that’s the first time I ever heard the word used,” he complained in Nebraska earlier this month.
The White House leaves Vice President JD Vance to use a softer touch. Last month in Texas, he admitted “there are people out there who are frustrated by the pace of progress.” And during a CBS News town hall on Saturday, Vance said, “I recognize that gas prices are too high right now” and “we’re working on it.” Depending on which Republican is speaking, Americans are getting a different perspective on how bad things are with the economy. Trump says “the golden age of America is upon us.” Vance walks a tightrope to show that he knows voters are feeling an economic pinch while still selling them on Trump’s agenda.
The disconnect comes as Americans’ confidence in the economy sank to the lowest level in more than a decade this month, the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate jumped this month to its highest level in nearly three years and the unemployment rate ticked up last month. Recent economic data released this month shows that high gasoline prices are intensifying inflation and more expensive oil and gas have begun to push prices up in other parts of the economy.
While most of Trump’s supporters don’t hold him at fault, some acknowledge that the president’s penchant for salesmanship may not hit the mark. “I think he talks it up,” said Conda Little, a 76-year-old retiree who went to see Trump in Dalton, Georgia, on Friday. “I think Vance is more real.” Little takes the president at his word that he will achieve a victory over Iran in a way that benefits U.S.
But she said it’s impossible to deny the fallout from the conflict. “Everybody’s real upset about the gas” and “groceries are out of sight,” she said. It’s really hard,” she said, adding that, “I think that people need to hear the truth.” ‘We need to do more’ Trump is loath to acknowledge concerns.
He told reporters earlier this month that he gives himself “an A+ on the government, on economics, on everything.” He has dismissed concerns about high costs, arguing that concerns about affordability are a “hoax.” “We’re in the golde… But she said it’s impossible to deny the fallout from the conflict.“Everybody’s real upset about the gas” and “groceries are out of sight,” she said.
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