A CNN reporter revealed on Tuesday that the Republican Party appears to be "grappling" with its messaging after receiving a "warning sign" from Americans during last week's election.

Alayna Treene, a White House reporter for CNN, discussed the impact of last week's election on Republicans during a new broadcast of "The Arena" with host Kasie Hunt. Democrats swept several high-profile races during last week's election, including the governor's offices in New Jersey and Virginia.

Two main issues for Republicans are that they have not addressed the rising cost of living for Americans, as illustrated by President Donald Trump's latest proposal to create a 50-year mortgage. The party has also had a hard time messaging to Americans about Trump's tariffs, Treene reported.

"Much of this attention on this issue of affordability really did stem from those elections last week," Treene said. "It was a warning sign for a lot of Republicans, including people in that building behind me," referring to the White House.

"And so they are grappling with how to change their message on this," she continued. "You might see the president doing more events on this as well, but there is definitely a broad acknowledgment that this is a problem and that they have to change it."