White House insiders are privately faulting President Donald Trump’s fixation on foreign affairs and his failure to make good on his campaign promises after the GOP’s Election Day thrashing.
Trump rode a wave of economic frustration to reclaim the White House in 2024, vowing to “vanish” inflation and “make America affordable again.”
But after a blue wave swept Republicans in Virginia, New Jersey, California, New York City, and beyond on Tuesday, Trump allies say the president has fallen short of Americans’ expectations.
“People don’t think he’s lived up to his promises,” one White House ally told Politico. “You won on lowering costs, putting more money back into people’s pockets. And people don’t feel that right now.”
In a remark sure to sting Trump, 79, who rarely misses a chance to bash former President Joe Biden, the person observed, “This is the problem Biden had.”
Even as inflation has remained stubbornly high and Americans have continued to struggle with the cost of living, Trump claimed, “we have no inflation” this week.
Another White House insider faulted Trump for letting foreign affairs distract him from domestic priorities.
The commander-in-chief, who helped broker the Gaza peace deal last month, has become absorbed with tallying how many wars he’s “solved,” and openly covets the Nobel Peace Prize.
“Too much focus on foreign policy while people are hurting at home delivered exactly the results you’d expect,” the White House insider told Politico. The outlet noted that its sources had been granted anonymity to discuss internal thinking.
“The president hasn’t talked about the cost of living in months,” a person close to the White House observed. “People are still hurting financially and they want to know the White House is paying attention and trying to fix the problem as quickly as possible.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
The same sentiment is reverberating through MAGAworld, with right-wing influencers Mike Cernovich and Breitbart’s Matthew Boyle both arguing on X that Trump’s focus on the Middle East and Ukraine turned American voters off from the GOP.
“Trump spent all year on the Middle East, his big donors loved this, the voters did not,” Cernovich wrote. Boyle implored Republicans to focus on “actually implementing America First.”
Trump himself deflected responsibility as GOP losses piled up Tuesday night, posting on Truth Social, “‘TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT,’ according to Pollsters.”
However, White House deputy chief of staff James Blair hinted that the Trump team will try to refocus Trump’s messaging on economic concerns ahead of next year’s midterm election.
“You’ll see the president talk a lot about cost of living as we turn … into the new year,” said Blair, the political director for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, on Politico’s The Conversation.
It appears Trump has already started to follow that line, pledging, “Affordability is our goal,” in a Wednesday Truth Social post commemorating his 2024 victory.
