'Trump's fault': Dems urged not to let new prez 'untangle' from pending policy disaster

Donald Trump has stopped talking about one of the central messages from his campaign since winning the election — and an analyst suggested that's a telling sign.

The president-elect has all but abandoned talking about the economy, which MSNBC columnist James Downie argued could be seen as an indication that Trump doesn't feel confident that his policies will improve on President Joe Biden's economic record.

"Joe Biden isn’t giving him much bad economic news to talk about," Downie wrote. "Last week, officials reported that the U.S. added 256,000 jobs in December as the unemployment rate dropped to 4.1 percent and wages grew 3.9 percent for the year. Inflation has been under 3 percent since the summer and economic growth is still strong."

"The good news only makes it harder for Trump to untangle himself from his campaign promise that prices will 'come down fast' once he is in office," the columnist added.

Trump has already backed off his promise to bring down consumer prices "fast," and some economic indicators point toward an impending downturn – especially if he carries through on his threat to impose massive tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico.

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"Even he has admitted that he 'can’t guarantee' his proposed tariffs won’t raise prices," Downie wrote. "You don’t have to be an economist to see how those tariffs, combined with his other top priorities of tax cuts and mass deportations, are likely to prove inflationary in the long run as well. But economists definitely see it, and so do the financial markets."

Swing voters punished Kamala Harris for price increases during her time as vice president, according to numerous polls and focus groups, and Downie urged Democrats to make sure that voters understand who is to blame for any increases during Trump's second term.

"In the face of a Republican trifecta, Trump’s ability to command the news cycle, and tech oligarchs’ embrace of mis- and disinformation, Democrats need a message as straightforward as it is loud," Downie wrote. "Unemployment up? Trump’s fault. House prices too high? Trump’s fault. Groceries too expensive? Trump’s fault. The man who wants credit for everything must be blamed for everything. And the sooner the party can agree on a new economic platform for the midterms, the better."