All posts tagged "economy"

'You want to cry': MAGA voters tell WSJ they feel 'horrible' about voting for Trump

A Wall Street Journal report revealed Saturday the Americans who voted for President Donald Trump have soured on him amid the economic fallout of the Iran war.

According to the Journal, new polls by the Cook Political Report found that more voters disapprove of Trump's handling of the economy after gas prices jumped during the Iran war. The polls cited by the Journal found that 61 percent of voters disapprove of how Trump is handling the economy.

The Journal also included comments from Trump voters around the country who admitted that they're not feeling great about their pick because Trump seemed to prioritize a war in Iran over affordability.

"Bringing prices down, that should have been a priority," Chicago bus driver Truman Lyons told the Journal. "I don't think he's making the average American citizen the priority."

According to the Journal, Lyons also "balked" at the bombing of Iran, blamed it for raising gas prices, and said he feels "horrible" about voting for Trump in 2024.

"I regret it," Lyons said. "What did he say? He said, 'I'm the president of no wars.'"

Jim Dubela, a retired airline captain from New Hampshire, told the Journal that Trump is "failing to rein in spending and driving up prices with tariffs." Dubela added, "The Iran war has directed attention away from our affordability crisis" and caused "a huge strain on the typical American's budget."

Florida financial adviser Chris Delzio told the Journal, "The amount of money spent on these wars just really makes you want to cry," and pointed out that Trump promised, "We're going to spend the money here" and "no foreign wars."

'Completely crazy': Paul Krugman delivers scathing verdict on Trump threat against ally

Nobel-winning economist Paul Krugman offered a scathing review of Trump's recent threat against a key American ally.

In March, Trump warned of a complete trade cutoff with Spain after the country refused to allow U.S. military bases for operations against Iran. Even though Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was unfazed, Trump again threatened to ignite a trade war with Spain during an outburst at the NATO summit in Turkey.

"It was completely crazy," Krugman said in a Substack post on Wednesday. "This is not something that is real, except that the President of the United States did say this."

Even though Krugman added that Trump's threat is "completely insane," he dismissed it as a "non-event," saying that although Trump ordered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to cut off trade with Spain, "this is not going to happen." He explained that a trade war with Spain isn't possible.

"Presidents have a lot of discretionary authority on tariffs and trade, more than they should, but you do not have the right as president to impose tariffs on a country just because you don't like their defense spending or you think that they haven't been nice enough to you," Krugman said. "It's not really at this point about economics. It doesn't even make sense to talk about Trump administration policies, let alone ideology."

Trump would have trouble stopping trade with Spain because it's part of the European Union, Krugman pointed out. "So this is like Europe declaring 'we're cutting off all trade with Florida': they can't do that," Krugman said.

"Also, there's a lot of U.S. business with Spain," Krugman continued. "In fact, Spain is one of those countries with which we run a trade surplus. So U.S. business would be howling."

Read on Substack

'Breathtaking': New danger posed by Trump makes James Carville rethink his famous phrase

James Carville confessed he's rethinking his most famous phrase because of a new threat posed by Trump.

During an episode of Politics War Room, Carville revisited his 1992 quote, "It's the economy, stupid," which he coined during the Bill Clinton campaign to hammer home what issue mattered the most. However, Carville said he now regrets the phrase because the economy doesn't matter anymore in the face of Trump's corruption.

"I now have come to detest the fact I said that," Carville said. "I listen to people say, 'People don't care about corruption. They care about the economy. As long as their incomes are up, they really don't care what [Trump] does.'"

Carville took another look at his quote amid new revelations about how Trump is profiting from deals, like those related to his crypto ventures and foreign mining. Carville explained that he's "afraid" he sold the economy as the top political priority so well that Trump's corruption is being overlooked.

"When I said it in 1992, you can say what you want about George H.W. Bush," who was running for reelection that year, "he was not corrupt, okay? He was not a corrupt man at all," Carville said.

The corruption under Trump is "breathtaking" and "staggering," though, Carville said, adding, "I want to punch him in the f— face." However, people keep turning their attention to the economy.

"People say, 'Yeah, you know, you're right, that's all people care about is the economy,'" Carville said. "The phrase actually haunts me today."

Co-host Al Hunt told Carville, "The bulk of the American electorate, even in this coming election, is going to be driven by economic considerations."

"I agree, and it pains me," Carville responded. "We can get over high egg prices, we can get over high gas prices, and we can get over a lot of interest rates. You can't get over systemic, endemic, persuasive corruption. That's everything."

Economist flags troubling signs in Trump's economy: 'Shouldn't be so excited'

A prominent economist on Thursday warned that President Donald Trump's economy has raised some concerns.

Justin Wolfers, an economics and public policy professor at the University of Michigan, responded to a new report from the Department of Labor, which indicated the United States has added fewer jobs in June — just 57,000 jobs that month.

"Each month we just learn a little bit more about the economy," Wolfers said. "We've seen a few really, really good months, and it was a 'yabba dabba doo' moment. I was very excited. And what we see here is maybe we shouldn't be so excited. This is an economy that is not as hot as we might have thought a month ago. It's also not an economy that's sinking by any means — it's treading water; it's doing OK. Let's cross our fingers and try not to do anything wrong, and hopefully we'll keep it."

For instance, Wolfers noted that the latest data showed there has been a decline in leisure and hospitality hiring at a time when several U.S. cities are hosting the World Cup, which he described as a "double whammy" for the economy.

He also argued that every industry outside of healthcare showed signs of shrinking.

Trump nominee gets all he can handle at heated hearing: 'You can't even do basic facts!'

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) grilled a Trump nominee during the Senate Housing, Banking and Urban Affairs Committee on Thursday.

Warren reminded Christopher Phelan, the president's pick for White House Council of Economic Advisers, that if approved for the advisory job his role would be focused on offering "objective economic advice."

"Let's go through a few objective facts," Warren said. "Americans are spending more on everything from gas to groceries, prices are rising faster than paychecks and Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill rips away healthcare coverage for 15 million people in order to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and giant corporations, and it adds $4.7 trillion to the national debt and that is why we need someone who will tell the truth about the economy and not just say whatever it is that the president wants them to say."

Warren asked Phelan if inflation was higher today than it was in February 2025.

"Headline inflation now is certainly lower than it was during the Biden administration," Phelan said.

Warren interrupted Phelan and pushed back.

"I'm sorry. Come on. Let's not play this game," Warren said.

Phelan did not answer the question directly.

"I don't want to know how fast you can dance. I want to know if you can answer simple, factual questions," Warren said.

She pushed back with several other questions, cutting off Phelan's responses.

"You have now made clear what your position is and that is you can't even do basic facts," Warren said. "I didn't even get to the hard questions here."

"I think this person has disqualified himself in five minutes," Warren added.

"You can't even do the basic facts!" -- Here's the full footage of Elizabeth Warren dismantling Christopher Phelan, Trump's nominee to be chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, by asking him basic factual questions about the state of the economy that Phelan refuses to answer… pic.twitter.com/MR06EQCV1X
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 25, 2026

CNBC has on-air mishap with bizarre 'kinky bookkeeping' chyron in Elizabeth Warren segment

CNBC had an accidental blunder during a live interview with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on Wednesday.

The television network was interviewing the long-time Democrat about President Donald Trump abruptly canceling the signing of a bipartisan housing bill and the economic fallout during Trump's second administration when the mix-up happened.

Journalist Aaron Rupar caught the moment and clipped it, sharing it with his 1.1 million followers on X.

"Elizabeth Warren said 'AI doesn't get to engage in a bunch of funky, hinky bookkeeping,' but the CNBC chyron writer misheard her and wrote that she said 'kinky bookkeeping' (look at the chyron at the end of this clip)," Rupar wrote.

Other people noticed the gaffe and had some laughs.

"The only entity that gets to engage in funky, kinky book keeping is the governmernt [SIC]," Rick Rule, president and chief executive officer of Rule Investment Media LLC, wrote on X.

"The sequel musical to Kinky Boots," former DFS radio host Dan Strafford wrote on Bluesky.

"Can someone explain what funky kinky bookkeeping is?" AI expert and founder RJ Grimshaw wrote on X.

Elizabeth Warren said "AI doesn't get to engage in a bunch of funky, hinky bookkeeping," but the CNBC chyron writer misheard her and wrote that she said "kinky bookkeeping" (look at the chyron at the end of this clip) pic.twitter.com/imr0EMusYW
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 24, 2026

Grim verdict as ex-GOP operative says US is on a 'raft ride down the sewer river' of Trump

A former GOP operative argued President Donald Trump "is drowning in his own failure" in a video on Monday.

Anti-Trump conservative Steve Schmidt described how Trump's failed Iran war, struggling economy and blunders around the algae-ridden reflecting pool have further damaged the United States. He suggested the next move would be the Trump cabinet meeting inside the Situation Room, and how future generations would view this "as a portal into understanding the insanity of this moment."

"The economy is wrecked. The nation dishonored, the people divided," Schmidt said. "Ghislaine Maxwell sitting in minimum security. All of it a function of our national raft ride down the sewer river of Donald Trump's creation."

"It may not seem like we are all of us, on a boat, together, upon that fetid pool. But trust me. We are," Schmidt said.

Trump's staggering press conference leaves analysts aghast: 'Dems just won the midterms'

Political experts were shocked on Wednesday after President Donald Trump said he was not concerned about rising inflation numbers.

Trump signed the Secure America Act and began taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office when he was asked how inflation has now climbed to its highest level since 2023.

"No, I love it. I love the inflation," Trump said.

The president's comment sparked a wave of responses among analysts and politicians.

"And Democrats just won the midterms," Jessica Tarlov, co-host of Fox News show "The Five" and Raging Moderates with Scott Galloway, wrote on X.

"Trump really said, 'I love the inflation.' On camera. For all of America to hear. His contempt for you knows no bounds," Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wrote on X.

"Donald Trump just said 'I love the inflation,' while handing over another $70 billion to ICE thugs. This administration doesn’t care about working people," Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) wrote on X.

"'I love the inflation.' Woof," entrepreneur and political strategist Mike Nellis wrote on X.

"'I love the inflation.' He never cared about lowering costs for Americans," Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) wrote on X.

"Trump on inflation: 'I love it.' People can't afford to feed their families. Your struggle is a joke to him," Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote on X.

"Imagine if a political reporter decided to treat Trump's brain-pudding ramblings seriously and wrote a story that led with 'President declares 'Love' for Inflation' and then asked prominent Republicans whether they also loved the 4.2% CPI increase," Stan Oklobdzija, UC Riverside assistant professor of public policy, wrote on Bluesky.

"Whomst among us doesn't love the inflation that knocks real wages down to where they started in January 2025," Ben Zipperer, economist at the Economic Policy Institute, wrote on Bluesky.

And Democrats just won the midterms https://t.co/Engs3p1zBc
— Jessica Tarlov (@JessicaTarlov) June 10, 2026

Trump's second term 'already a lost cause' and 'getting lamer every day': analysis

President Donald Trump's abrupt walkout on "Meet the Press" over the weekend shows his second term is "already finished," an analyst revealed on Monday.

Following his mid-interview exit from NBC's Kristen Welker, Trump appears to have given up amid mounting frustration, according to MS NOW political analyst Matthew Bartlett. And while he maintains his control over the Republican Party, he has lost his standing among voters who question his economic priorities and policies.

"In the year and a half since Trump’s return, it seems everything has changed — except the economy," Bartlett wrote. "It is very hard to say that the president’s second act has improved the lives or financial status of many, unless of course your last name is Trump. His second administration has been a historic misread of a political mandate, and a tragic mistake of a presidency."

Trump has lost touch with what voters are concerned about, Bartlett argued.

"The president has lost all credibility on the economy, the No. 1 priority of the American public," Bartlett wrote. "He has lost control over ending the war. The administration is rudderless. Trump is enamored with being president, yet wants nothing to do with the job. His Cabinet members turn their attention from serving the people to appeasing their boss. Many top officials now hold their jobs in an acting capacity — not just in title but in their emphasis on performance for an audience of one."

The political focus will now shift to the 2026 midterm elections and then the 2028 presidential election.

"In a matter of months, attention will soon move from the White House to the campaign trail, and even successful presidents struggle to keep the spotlight off their potential successors," Bartlett wrote. "Candidates from both parties will have a chance to define themselves and offer their ideas on everything from artificial intelligence to taxes to war and peace. America’s next act will be written not in the Oval Office or the halls of Congress, but in the town halls and events across America."

"Meanwhile, the second Trump administration is already a lost cause at home and abroad. He has made himself a lame duck president, and is getting lamer every day," Bartlett added.

Trump arrives late and unhappy to Wisconsin event — and CNN reporter reveals why

A CNN reporter pointed out that President Donald Trump seemed displeased ahead of his event Friday night in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN's chief national affairs correspondent, was traveling with the president and other reporters and commented that Trump was not too thrilled as he headed to the Midwest battleground state to discuss his economic agenda among struggling farmers and the agriculture community.

Trump was slated to speak at a roundtable at 4 p.m. ET, but was late to take the stage, Zeleny explained.

"There is no doubt the president is a bit delayed here," Zeleny said. "He's been doing an interview, we're told, with NBC News on "Meet the Press." He came out and delivered some familiar criticism of the press. We will see what else he says during this. He does not seem to be in a very good mood, but at this point, we should point out so much criticism is coming from Republicans about the qualifications of Bill Pulte."

Both Republicans and Democrats had expressed concern over Trump's naming of Pulte as the new acting head of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Pulte, who does not have any known national security experience, was reportedly planning to execute sweeping personnel cuts across the nation's 18 federal intelligence agencies and units before a permanent successor is confirmed.