President Donald Trump is convening his Cabinet this week for what appears to be a “reset” – wisely, as his agenda has hit a snag, with poor polling and serious concerns about the November election.
The Trump team is doing a lot of good, but overshadowing those successes right now are some bad things and confusing or worse communications.
There’s no two ways about it: Trump’s Justice Department settlement of the Trump IRS lawsuit is in sight badly.
A blanket guarantee that the prez and his family will never face an IRS audit? A $1.8 billion anti-arms fund, courtesy of taxpayers, to be given to people who say they were victimized by the Biden-era “law” — with no apparent need to prove it. evidence?
This is similar to Joe’s blanket pardon of Hunter and the rest of the Biden family.
And it sat around the same time the prez revealed that his personal account had been hacked 3,600 stock exchanges totaling $220 million to $750 million during his time in office.
His fortune has reportedly doubled since the start of his second term, from $2.4 billion to $6.3 billion.
Add to that his sons’ extensive, and very profitable, crypto dealings with the Arabs of the Gulf region and other foreigners.
None of it looks good, however it may be legal or above board. It comes at a time when ordinary Americans are suffering from rising energy prices (and subsequent economic problems) caused by the Iran war – sacrifices that may have the benefit of permanently tarnishing the Islamic Republic, but sacrifices nonetheless.
It doesn’t help that, as almost anyone can tell, the war is stuck in a strange Twilight Zone: It’s now stalled for much longer than weeks of offensive operations, with no clear sign of how or when it will end.
Inflation outpaced wage growth for the first time in years.
The result? A Fox poll last month found that more than a quarter Republicans don’t believe that Trump “cares about people like you.”
Also, in a CBS/YouGov poll, Republicans’ approval of Trump’s handling of inflation fell to 63%, from 74% in March; among all voters, it dropped from a negative 33% to 27%.
Loyal Trump voters think the president is doing well, but they should know what this looks like.
We’re going back to inflation, despite the stock market, and while the Democrats are still going crazy, the conflict of interest stuff is going to stick, especially if they come out in November with the power to preside.
All of this has left Republicans in Congress divided, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson increasingly under pressure to push Trump’s agenda.
We don’t want to put all of Team Trump’s problems down to “bad communication,” but whatever public message they’re trying to send, and what policies they should be proud of and talk about, will certainly not succeed.
One needs to get on top of this, with an eye not just on the White House speaking directly to public concerns, but what it is. to do it looks to ordinary Americans.
