Photo via Hiroko Masuike, The New York Times
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When United States President Donald Trump won the 2024 U.S. Presidential election against then-U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, it became evident that a major reason was because voters had greater trust in his ability to improve the state of the economy. Voters viewed him as more capable of dealing with the economy, and Republican voters prioritized the economy as an issue that mattered to them more than Democratic voters. This could partially be attributed to the disparity between economic statistics during the then-U.S. President Joseph Biden’s term and voters’ own experiences of the economy, as economic inflation became a significant issue for many people during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the campaign, Trump routinely emphasized lowering inflation as part of his agenda. Harris also supported policies meant to address inflation, an issue that most significantly affects working class households, such as addressing price gouging. However, Biden’s low approval rating on the economy contributed to many voters believing Trump’s economic policies would do a better job in lowering inflation than Harris’s policies.
Despite the importance placed on the economy by many of the voters that contributed to Trump’s 2024 coalition, the policies of the administration have not been centered on alleviating the economic burdens many experienced following the pandemic. The most prominent example of this is the administration’s tariff policy, which has resulted in an average tax increase of $400 on American households. This continued discontent among voters is shown in Americans’ disapproval of his handling of the economy.
In the first major electoral test since Trump’s election, the results across the country showed how much the issue of affordability has swung in the other direction. On Tuesday, November 4th, 2025, voters went to the polls to elect the mayor of New York City, and the governors of New Jersey and Virginia. The Democratic nominees, Zohran Mamdani, Mikie Sherrill, and Abigail Spanberger respectively, who placed affordability at the center of their campaigns, won in all three races. Increased support for Democrats was also reflected in other races around the country, such as in elections for the Georgia Public Service Commission and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, signaling Americans’ continuing anxieties about the economy.
The second recent example of how Americans’ opinions have shifted is the public opinion of the government shutdown that ended on Wednesday, November 12th, 2025. The major debate surrounding the funding of the government revolved around the restoration of tax credits for the Affordable Care Act (A.C.A), which provides health insurance for millions of Americans. These credits have been used to bring down the costs of healthcare for millions of low- and middle-income individuals since their introduction in 2021.
Also during the shutdown, the Trump administration challenged an appeals court ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court that required his administration to pay out 100 percent of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding, a program which distributes food aid to Americans. This court challenge, alongside congressional Republicans’ unwillingness to include A.C.A. tax credits in their proposed funding bill- two issues poised to raise the cost of living for many- contributed to more Americans viewing congressional Republicans as to blame for the shutdown instead of congressional Democrats.
As a result of the elections and public dissatisfaction, Trump is beginning to acknowledge the disparity between his rhetoric and many Americans’ economic realities. Recently, the Trump administration announced an executive order decreasing tariffs on certain agricultural products, such as bananas and coffee, in an attempt to reduce food prices. Trump has also announced a proposal for a 50-year mortgage, which has drawn criticism from economists on its efficacy in improving the affordability of homes. These policies are likely a response to the policies that Democrats across the country have found recent success with, both electorally and during the shutdown.
The continued success of candidates prioritizing affordability is due to a broader dissatisfaction with the economic status quo in the years following the pandemic. This has been made clear by a fundamental miscalculation by both parties about the health of the economy. First, in the Biden administration’s assumptions on the reliability of traditional economic measurements in predicting election outcomes, followed by the Trump administration’s misunderstanding of what voters expected of them in office, particularly on the issue of trade.
As Democrats experienced a much more successful election night in November 2025 compared to a year prior, there will be a more varied set of approaches to improving Americans’ economic prospects around the country ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Given this, the winner of those elections will likely be the party that can more effectively present a vision for a more affordable economy.
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This article was edited by Amethyst Stencik and Kaelen House.
Anika Bobeck 
Sara Starace 
Andrew Kravatz