President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Oval Office of the White House on November 6. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The 2025 election two weeks ago crystallized how big a problem the economy and affordability appear to be for President Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

Trump’s initial strategy for dealing with this problem appeared to be pretending it didn’t actually exist. Trump set about falsely claiming prices were actually down , that there is “almost no inflation,” and that everything was more or less hunky dory.

It was bizarre , even from a president who often seems to reside in his own elaborately crafted alternate reality.

And it appears to be falling flat.

New polling conducted since Trump began driving this message shows Americans continue to see things ver

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