With only six months until Election Day, the White House is having a full-blown “freakout.” Donald Trump is an unpopular figure, but it seems Joe Biden is even less popular.
The current president is lagging in the polls in most battleground states, was outraised by Trump last month, and the circus-like hush-money trial in New York hasn’t moved the needle — at least not yet.
Certain voters will motivated by issues such as abortion rights, Gaza or border security. But what’s really killing Biden is experienced by every voter, every single day.
Things cost too much.
The inflation rate has dropped from its heights a few years ago, but the high prices remain. Axios created a simple chart comparing the inflation to actual prices.
Over the past year, grocery prices only rose 1.1%. But if you go back to January 2021, those prices are nearly 21% higher since Biden took office.
And it’s not just groceries. The cost of dining out is up 22% since 2021. On average, a gallon of gas today costs $3.83 in Arizona, compared to $2.39 a gallon 3½ years ago.
As one Democratic strategist told Politico, “If the frame of this race is, ‘What was better, the 3.5 years under Biden or four years under Trump,’ we lose that every day of the week and twice on Sunday.”
No rant by Robert DeNiro in front of a New York City courthouse can change that reality.
And inflation keeps popping up in odd places.
Home insurance shot up 11.3% in the past year, while vehicle insurance is up 22%. These categories barely factor into the overall inflation rate, but they still scare off people from car and homeownership.
The current inflation rate might only be 3.4%, but polls continue to show it as a top problem in voters’ minds. And it’s tough to argue them out of it.
Debates can't make things worse:For Biden and Trump
The New York Times asks “Why are voters so upset?” while the Washington Post chides, “Nearly everything Americans believe about the economy is wrong.”
The reader might nod along with these articles, buying all their arguments. But that conviction disappears with one visit to a fast-food drive-through.
A cheeseburger, fries and a Happy Meal shouldn’t cause sticker shock, but here we are.
High prices cut across every voter demographic. Regardless of age, race or gender, everyone wants to pay about what they used to. This explains why Trump is polling better among minority groups that usually support Democrats.
It’s tough to change the narrative when every trip to a store, restaurant or barber shop serves as another anti-Biden campaign ad.
According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, Americans prefer Trump’s economic policies to Biden’s by a 10-point margin. Abstract warnings about the end of democracy won’t distract moms and dads from worrying about their weekly budget.
When it comes to the economy, Arizona is doing better than most states. We rank fourth in job growth, unemployment is below the national average, and the Phoenix area has the lowest inflation in the U.S.
And yet. It just doesn’t feel like boom times, nor will it in November.
According to the Joint Economic Committee, the average Arizona household spends $1,202 more per month than it did when Biden was inaugurated. Over that same time frame, they’ve cumulatively spent an extra $29,052 thanks to inflation.
A lot of things are going wrong for Biden, from immigration to foreign wars to concerns about his age. But his biggest problem is that things simply cost too much.
He can’t stop voters from noticing that.
Jon Gabriel, a Mesa resident, is editor-in-chief of Ricochet.com and a contributor to The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. On X, formerly Twitter: @exjon.
Trump isn't why Biden is losing. It's the economy, stupid
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02.06.2024
With only six months until Election Day, the White House is having a full-blown “freakout.” Donald Trump is an unpopular figure, but it seems Joe Biden is even less popular.
The current president is lagging in the polls in most battleground states, was outraised by Trump last month, and the circus-like hush-money trial in New York hasn’t moved the needle — at least not yet.
Certain voters will motivated by issues such as abortion rights, Gaza or border security. But what’s really killing Biden is experienced by every voter, every single day.
Things cost too much.
The inflation rate has dropped from its heights a few years ago, but the high prices remain. Axios created a simple chart comparing the inflation to actual prices.
Over the past year, grocery prices only rose 1.1%. But if you go back to January 2021, those prices are nearly 21% higher since Biden took office.
And it’s not just groceries. The cost of dining out is up 22%........
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