"It's the economy, stupid." That's the famous phrase coined during the 1992 election campaign that has managed to ring true in nearly every election before or since. Regardless of other national and world events, voters in presidential and midterm elections tend to cast their ballots based on economic conditions, for better or for worse. This year is expected to be no different, which is why the Trump administration is reportedly mapping out an aggressive strategy to push their economic agenda and message ahead of the midterms. The plan includes President Trump doing campaign-style events across the country, along with cabinet members doing events of their own and appearing on television and podcasts to tout economic issues.
This all sounds great, but right now the economy is getting drowned out by the Iran war and the DHS shutdown, which have dominated headlines for the last month. At the same time, polls consistently show Americans are pessimistic about the economy. E.J. Antoni, economist with the Heritage Foundation, says the war in particular is having real world effects that make the White House economic push much more difficult. "I don't think it's just the media...they always have biased coverage, especially against Trump who they hate...I think the reality is just that things have gotten a lot worse for many Americans over the last month," he tells KTRH. "And that is why the polls are moving in the wrong direction."
One of those real effects is the rising cost of diesel, which impacts every product delivered on a truck. Antoni believes the real story of the economy probably lies somewhere between happy talk and the leftist media's hyper doom and gloom. "A lot of the current price increases are sort of baked into the cake already," he says.
That means selling Americans on the economy may not be as simple as doing more rallies and podcasts. "It's not a question of things like messaging, it's just a question of the reality on the ground," says Antoni. "And if we are dealing with higher food prices and higher energy prices, I think incumbents will be punished for that come November."
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