Donald Trump's administration has members of the public worried for their futures as they head into 2026.
One person suggested there is "no end in sight" when it comes to bad news from the government, and others are worried about their financial security after Trump's first year in office. Trump's second term in the White House has seen the president enact controversial economic laws, with tariffs leaving their mark on economic security.
Retiree Helen Nerviano told CNN she could see no change in the foreseeable future that could benefit her situation. The 62-year-old shared she was part of a "constant, never-ending struggle" when it came to buying basic groceries and covering her $170-a-month healthcare price.
She said, "I thought, ‘Well, that’s doable,’ and I did all my math and made sure I could afford where I moved. Had no clue what was on the horizon – the prices of food, insurance, clothing, and I adopted my granddaughter. It was just like a storm of events that I wasn’t planning on when I retired."
"It’s just a constant, never-ending struggle,” she said. “I go to the grocery store, I put things in my cart; by the time I get to the checkout, I turn back around and start taking things out, because I tell myself, ‘You can’t afford this.’ It’s perpetual. There’s no end in sight."
A K-shaped economy had been warned of previously by Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, with the effects causing a "very weird time" for the public.
She said, "It's a very weird time in the economy. Look, what's really going on here is a jobless boom. So yes, the overall economy is growing really well, largely due to the AI boom that's going on and due to really wealthy consumers in this K-shaped economy, where wealthy Americans continue to spend and spend and spend and a lot of middle-income and lower-income Americans are pulling back or treading water right now."
"And so, at the same time, this economy has created almost no jobs since April. And that's what's really making people nervous. Not only do they see prices rising for some key food items and electricity, among other things, they can see that it's almost impossible to get a job right now."