White House insiders are showing signs that they're turning on President Donald Trump after a Democratic sweep in elections Tuesday, according to a report.
Republicans are apparently are in a tizzy, and a former Trump advisor told Politico that the president is expected to shift his strategy to address the rising cost of living — the issue that matters most to people and one that the party needs to win future election races.
One ally inside the White House told the outlet, “People don’t think he’s lived up to his promises.
“You won on lowering costs, putting more money back into people’s pockets. And people don’t feel that right now.”
But that isn't the only troubling takeaway that GOP insiders are pointing to following Republicans' "miserable" performance in the polls, Politico reported. Conservative strategists are also looking to course correct on future election contenders and noting "that fielding quality candidates matters," according to Politico.
Between his focus on tariffs, aggressive immigration policies, the White House ballroom and foreign wars, Trump appears to have lost touch of how regular Americans are handling rising health care costs, navigating insufficient food assistance and losing SNAP benefits, all while the government remains closed, Politico reported.
Insiders say he now has to face the economy.
“The President hasn’t talked about the cost of living in months,” another White House source told the outlet. “People are still hurting financially and they want to know the White House is paying attention and trying to fix the problem as quickly as possible.”
James Blair, who was the political director for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and the RNC, described the fallout from Republican election losses, specifically in the Virginia and New Jersey governor races.
“You’ll see the president talk a lot about cost of living as we turn … into the new year,” Blair said in an interview for Politico's The Conversation. “The president is very keyed into what’s going on, and he recognizes, like anybody, that it takes time to do an economic turnaround, but all the fundamentals are there, and I think we’ll see him be very, very focused on prices and cost of life.”
The outcome isn't shocking and Trump is facing increased criticism that his focus strayed too much from what matters for everyday people, the report states.
“Too much focus on foreign policy while people are hurting at home delivered exactly the results you’d expect,” another White House insider said.