'A significant issue for the president' flagged as midterms loom: report

With the 2026 midterms slightly more than one year away, Donald Trump and the Republican Party are facing a one-two punch which could have a devastating impact at the polls with growing sentiment that a key promise of the 2024 election not only is not being delivered, but things are going backwards.

According to a report from Axios, there are “warning signs” in new polling that the cost of living is out of control, and voters blame the party that controls both chambers of Congress and the White House.

The party that ran on lowering the price of eggs is now faced with an electorate that overwhelmingly believes they have fallen down on the job, according to a Harris Poll that reveals, “Just 1 in 5 respondents say it's easier to afford groceries now than this time last year; nearly half say it's harder, while 1 in 3 say it's about the same.”

According to Harris Poll CEO John Gerzema, “The midterms might hinge on a 'Cleanup on Aisle 4!'”

Addressing grocery prices, he explained, “It's such a visible signal that life is harder today than it was even last year when we were in an election cycle,” adding voters, “...don't feel like things are changing fast enough. This is going to be a significant issue for the president."

More concerning for Republicans, according to the new polling, is a shift among independents towards the Democrats which could swing the election.

Axios is reporting, “Independents' survey responses often land somewhere between Republicans' and Democrats', but in this survey we see independents more closely aligned with Democrats — another warning sign for Trump and Republicans in Congress.”

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