Conservative pollster Frank Luntz, who appeared on CNN to talk about voter confidence in the GOP amid the current economy, appeared shocked at President Donald Trump's admonition that Americans not act "stupid" over his sweeping tariffs.
On Monday, as many people panicked over the tanking stock markets, Trump posted to Truth Social, "The United States has a chance to do something that should have been done DECADES AGO. Don’t be Weak! Don’t be Stupid! Don’t be a PANICAN (A new party based on Weak and Stupid people!). Be Strong, Courageous, and Patient, and GREATNESS will be the result!"
CNN's Boris Sanchez asked Luntz about the 2026 mid-term elections and whether Trump's economic policies could detract voters.
"When the president urges Americans to be patient, he's saying, quote, 'Don't be weak. Don't be stupid.' I mean, at some point, that patience must wear thin if the economy isn't trending in the right direction," Sanchez said. "How much patience do you think these voters will have?"
"So, I need to ask you a question," Luntz began. "Did he actually say, 'Don't be stupid?' Was that his language? His rhetoric?"
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"Then that is a very bad thing to say," Luntz said. "Voters do not like being told that they're stupid. If the president said, 'Don't rush. Be patient. Good things happen in the long term,' the public would have said, 'I'll accept that. I'll embrace that.'"
Luntz continued, "You know, I'm a language person. When he's saying, 'Don't be stupid,' there will be a lot of voters in the center that will regard that as a criticism, an undeserved criticism. Make no mistake, the language of tariffs — the public has still not made up their minds whether this is good or bad. They don't like the opening, but there's still time to recover if the language is proper."
Luntz said the administration needs to win the public over, especially when they ask, 'What does this mean for my bottom line?"
"Not just now, but six months, a year, and two years from now," Luntz said. "If you were to ask those questions and answer them favorably, then these tariff policies would have public support. But the administration is doing a lousy job communicating this policy, and that's one of the reasons why the public has turned against it."
