If you reached this Balkingpoints article by direct external link, stop by the front page for a rotating satellite view of the earth at night
Progressives have been saying since March that the Trump policy of imposing tariffs to influence more manufacturing in USA, would be a disaster. He has pulled them back, put them back on, changed tariff rates all over the lot and given passes to absurdly rich corporations like Apple.
All creating economic uncertainty as well as defacto price hikes. New hiring has all but come to a halt because of it. Those two elements – more costly household goods and more difficulty replacing a job you lose – cannot have any other effect but to restrain the buying power of the US consumer. Consumption fuels 67% of the national GDP.
It is unfolding slowly as corporations incur the tariffs, but unfolding nonetheless. Americans are clued in to it and Trump’s approval ratings are suffering as a result.
That comports with his approval ratings of the last few months (article and comment addendums). Trump was down to 29% approval with independents in August, and from the latest NBC poll linked above “Just 8% of independents report positive feelings toward the actions of the Trump administration”.
And this: “about a quarter of respondents say they’re in better shape today than they were one year ago. One-third say they’re worse off today and about 4 in 10 say they’re in about the same financial position compared to one year ago.”
Think about how that accrues from an electoral standpoint. Trump won the 2024 election essentially on the promise to shut down inflation. If you are in the same shape as during Biden’s inflation, then he hasn’t delivered. That adds to the 33% who say they are in worse shape. Signaling disaster for the GOP in next year’s midterm elections if these numbers hold anywhere near where they are at present. Especially independents. If you lose a majority of those voters you are usually not going to win your election.
Walmart workers are sharing photos of price hikes of 38% or more. That article goes back to June.
The favorite subject of the corporate-owned press is Dems In Disarray. You will often see headlines to the effect of “Dems scramble to respond to latest Trump move”. As I mentioned in the VP Harris post linked above, Dems don’t have to have answers right now or do anything. Dems derive electoral power when Republicans win elections and then demonstrate they don’t know how to govern. Did you see them stopping Trump from imposing tariffs that are now raising prices for average Americans? Barring a major turnaround which is not going to happen (see, incompetent GOP), they are heading toward an all out revolt in both the 2026 midterms and the elections coming up this fall.