America News Agency

A new poll shows that many Americans have begun to hold President Donald Trump responsible for the high costs they feel in nearly every area of their lives, and that this is reshaping politics.

Nearly half of voters (46%) say the cost of living in the United States is the worst they can remember, and 37% of 2024 Trump voters share this view. Americans also say that the affordable housing crisis is Trump’s responsibility, and 46% say it is now “his economy” and that his administration is responsible for the costs they struggle with.

Among the new findings of the Politico Poll — which represents a growing warning sign for Republicans ahead of next year’s midterms — is that some of the groups that delivered Trump’s victory last year are showing signs of drifting away from that coalition, driven by the high cost of living.

Republican strategist Ford O’Connell said, after Republican Matt Van Epps defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn by 9 points in the Tennessee race — short of Trump’s 22-point margin in 2024 — that “This is a small warning, but something Republicans need to understand; in 2026 everyone will need to do everything possible to hold the House.”

Republicans were already concerned about how to motivate low-propensity voters in a midterm election year when Trump is not on the ballot. Now Democrats are trying, according to the Politico Poll, to pull voters away from Republicans by focusing on affordable housing — still the top priority for 56% of Americans. As in November, affordable housing was at the center of Tennessee’s special elections, and Behn consistently highlighted the issue throughout her campaign.