OPINION:
Somebody in the White House needs to close the briefing book, walk into the Oval Office and say it plainly: Mr. President, the midterm message is missing the mark.
Americans are worried about their bills, but the administration keeps asking them to applaud a host of other things. That is a dangerous way to run the chessboard, just four weeks from the most consequential midterm elections of our lifetime.
You cannot talk a voter out of what he sees at the gas pump, the grocery checkout or the kitchen table, and Republicans are running out of time to show that they understand or even care.
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It is time for President Trump to assign a singularly focused midterm policy adviser in the West Wing — one person who briefs the president daily on election-pertinent issues, tracks the newest polling and adjusts course accordingly.
The president must give the person carte blanche to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth — and fast.
The current media freak-out is focused on Mr. Trump’s overall approval rating at just 32%, but the more alarming figures are actually coming from his own base.
In a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, only 44% of Republicans approved of the president’s handling of the cost of living, down from an impressive 70% in January. Approval among Republicans of his handling of the broader economy fell from 80% to 56%. That free fall cannot be ignored.
Base enthusiasm does not matter just in the midterms. It is what drives turnout.
The trouble reaches beyond the base, however. A Quinnipiac University poll found that 49% of registered voters wanted Democrats to control the House, versus 38% for Republicans. Only 32% approved of Mr. Trump’s handling of the economy.
In an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, voters now trust Democrats over Republicans on the economy, 42% to 34%, and on gas prices, 40% to 27%. This is quite hard to believe, as Democrats are out there stumping for socialism, a construct that seeks to destroy the American economy itself.
For what it is worth, in that same Marist poll, 34% said their family finances had worsened over the past year, compared with just 20% who said their finances had improved.
Oddly, Republicans are surrendering the main issue that usually works best for them: the economy.
Perhaps Republicans do not want to have the awkward conversation about the very things that are not going as well as they had hoped two years into the Trump term, but they must.
So what is an administration to do?
The president’s first move should be to stop telling people how good they have it. Voters hear that as “Your bills are imaginary.” Instead, the White House should start every economic message by acknowledging the squeeze without blaming voters for noticing it or the media for their bias.
Once that is addressed head-on, the president can ask voters for more time to correct the economy. After all, the inflation he inherited from President Biden was the worst in nearly 50 years, since President Carter.
Then the White House must answer the question that matters: What is it doing today to bring down costs? The administration has some of the brightest minds in America on issues — including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — and they are working on broader issues that will help America for years to come.
Still, Americans want to know what the administration is doing to help them survive today.
Just as he did with the coronavirus task force, the president must hold a daily or weekly “task force” meeting now through Election Day, during which he brings in the owners of gas stations, supermarkets and other entities that have a hand in Americans’ day-to-day lives.
Just as he held the CEOs of fast-food companies, big-box retailers, and shipping companies accountable for keeping America’s goods flowing during the pandemic, the White House must now seek reassurance from these leaders that they will help bring down prices.
Otherwise, a vacuum of information leaves Democrats free to define the economy for Mr. Trump.
In Texas, liberal James Talarico is ahead of Ken Paxton simply by talking about groceries and gas. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed is featured in a campaign ad highlighting high gas prices and linking them to Mr. Trump’s actions on Iran.
An opening has been created for Democrats. Republicans can close the door on it, but they must act quickly.
No one has adequately addressed affordability.
In fact, the president laughed off the term “affordability” and blamed the media for the “made-up word.” This means that the president is too insulated.
If the White House fails to address the elephant in the room head-on — and soon — Republicans will surely lose.
Tough love means telling the president the truth before the voters deliver it to him in November. Hear the complaint, adjust course, show the fix.
The midterms will be decided by Americans paying bills, not by the applause of an insulated select few in the Oval Office.
• Jennifer Kelly is a Republican strategist.
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