U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune

Ten and one-half months into his second presidency, Donald Trump continues to be dogged by the very thing that imperiled former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election: inflation.

The United States, as liberal economist Paul Krugman has often noted, enjoyed record-low unemployment during Biden's presidency. But Trump hammered Biden and Harris relentlessly on inflation during the presidential race, and that messaging helped him pull off a narrow victory of roughly 1.5 percent in the popular vote. Now, Trump is the one facing voters who are frustrated over the economy.

In an article published by MS NOW on December 12, journalist Jack Fitzpatrick (formerly of Bloomberg News) stresses that Republicans need a unified message on "affordability" but are flailing badly.

"Republicans insist they have a plan to deal with affordability issues," Fitzpatrick explains. "The problem is, if you ask 15 Republicans in Congress what that plan looks like — as MS NOW did this week — you're likely to get 15 different answers. For most Republicans, the responses were divided into two camps: a new health care bill or the reconciliation package Republicans passed over the summer. Conservatives have pushed for a partisan follow-up to the reconciliation bill, pointing to proposals on health care and housing. But other Republicans are urging leaders to more vigorously sell voters on the tax cuts already enacted in July."

Fitzpatrick adds, "When pressed for a specific plan on affordability, however, no GOP lawmaker was able to point to a fully formed proposal — at least, not a single proposal."

Fitzpatrick reports that Reps. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wisconsin) and Ralph Norman (R-South Carolina) are insisting that Republicans have a plan on high prices but aren't offering specifics. But MAGA Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) told MS NOW that GOP lawmakers "have to have more conversations and actually get something to the floor."

Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) told MS NOW, "Messaging is something that the House of Representatives — the Republicans in the House — need to do a better job on."

Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) believes that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) needs to be a lot more proactive when it comes to pursuing a health care bill.

Kennedy told MS NOW, "I just think (Thune is) making a mistake — a big, big mistake. And we will look back and go, 'What planet were we living on?' Especially if the midterms don't go well for us."

Read Jack Fitzpatrick's full article for MS NOW at this link.