Bad Polling Won’t Stop Trump’s Authoritarian Project
With the GOP's grip on the House slipping and voters increasingly angry at the White House, Democrats have a rare opening to repair their brand and own the affordability argument.
Throughout Donald Trump’s second term, we have seen bad poll after bad poll. His favorability among moderate and independent voters has collapsed. Hispanic voters, disturbed by Trump’s deportation campaign and a faltering economy, have done a complete 180. Even Republicans—especially within the core MAGA constituency—are starting to show cracks.
All of that is disastrous for Trump and for Republicans. But bad numbers alone will not miraculously stop us from careening toward the black hole that is Trump 2028. Polling doesn’t tell whether we win or lose elections. It measures public mood as best it can—a game of telephone where voters tell pollsters, pollsters tell us, and meaning is often distorted along the way.
Voters are angry about prices. Trump, in his dotage, cannot change his mind. Inflation driven by tariffs is here to stay, regardless of what the Supreme Court does. High prices in cities are nothing new, but Trump’s tariffs have nationalized the problem, dragging it into the smallest corner of rural America. This is Trump’s economy now. He owns it and voters know it.
To their credit, Democrats are largely nailing the affordability argument. But a trust gap still lingers after the Joe Biden presidency. That’s why the combination of affordability and Epstein matters. It isn’t just scandal-mongering; it’s a narrative that’s been missing. Trump promised the moon but delivered only oozing corruption and incompetence. Democrats finally have an opportunity to repair a badly damaged brand by making the contrast unavoidable.
You can tell Trump knows he’s failing by the manic, flailing “address” he gave Wednesday night. Nothing telegraphs confidence like a breathless rant. Unfortunately for Americans, things are about to get worse. ACA subsidies are expiring. Prices are still rising. And voters are directing their anger exactly where it belongs: at Trump and at Congress.
Mike Johnson’s house is on fire. The shutdown and Epstein have pushed more vulnerable districts into play, and Democrats should exploit that relentlessly. This is where affordability becomes a weapon. Democrats can—and should—hammer the Republican “moderates” who have meekly gone along with Project 2025. GOP retirements and defections are no longer isolated incidents; they’re a full-blown crisis. Mike Johnson’s grip on the House is nonexistent, and his prospects even worse.
Meanwhile, MAGA voters feel abandoned. For a year, they’ve watched Trump fete foreign dictators and tech billionaires. While their bills kept rising, Trump played architect and interior decorator. That said, MAGA is not a spent force in electoral politics, but without Trump’s name on the ballot, there is nothing to redeem Republican hopes.
Trump knows his polling is grim, but he has pinned his hopes on a fantasy: some future economic miracle, when the tax cuts finally kick in and your rich uncle dies. He is just as delusional as his most loyal minions. Remember, Biden managed to stabilize and grow the economy, yet his polling never recovered. Trump is headed for the same fate, only with far less patience from voters and far more damage along the way.
As Trump’s star wanes, Democrats do not automatically benefit. Across every survey, the economy and inflation remain the abiding concerns of the American people. The path forward is narrow but clear. Democrats should stay relentlessly focused on affordability—prices, rent, healthcare, and energy—and treat everything else as noise.
Not because polls say so—but because voters already have.
FOR MORE ON THE LATEST POLLING, JOIN RICK & ANDREW WILSON AT 10AM ET TODAY FOR BEHIND THE NUMBERS!
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I wish Democrats would stop touting affordability as the main concern of the American public, and the greatest weakness of the Trump regime.
Affordability is merely one aspect of peoples' disgust and concern.
I don't give a damn about the price of eggs, when innocent people are being rounded up and abused. I couldn't care less about gas prices dropping a few cents, when billions are being stolen in front of our eyes, and the President is blatantly enriching himself and his family.
There has never been a more traitorous and corrupt man in the Oval Office. Trump openly admires and coddles dictators and criminals, and strives to emulate both.
There has never been a more racist or confused political agenda in America.
While Some of Trump's main financial backers and advisors are Christian zealots who swear allegiance to Israel, others are sworn Neo Nazis, who despise the Jewish people and anyone not white. To add to the confusion, Trump has the support of the Technocrat billionaires, who envision self governance and the suppression of the general public as mere plebeians. Peter Thiel is openly gay and VP Vance identified as gay while in University apparently, which goes against the rigorous hatred of anyone different, espoused by the Zealot and the Nazi factions.
Combine the above chaotic amalgamation that are frantically conspiring to dismantle all that is good in America, while robbing the treasury blind, and you have a much greater concern than the weekly grocery bill. Add to that the highly suspicious results of the 2024 elections and the ongoing underhanded attempts to ensure Republican victory in future elections, and the price of eggs moves pretty low on the list of important issues.
The current regime and the collaboration of self-motivated sycophants that support it, have no intention of leaving office peacefully. Under the vile guidance of Stephen Miller, every state is expected to have a quick response Gestapo goon squad in place next month.
If the American people don't find the backbone to make a decisive stand soon, the 250 year experiment will end in dismal failure. Survival will definitely take priority over affordability.
These are desperate times and the 2026 midterms are another year of atrocities away.
"Remember, Biden managed to stabilize and grow the economy, yet his polling never recovered." And why was that? Corporate media....that's why. Have we heard or read many stories about Trump's age? He's 79. How about Trump's memory issues and mistakes with names etc? We sure heard about Biden's age and mental capacity.......every day. Think about that.