Americans are heading into the holiday season with little economic joy—and that frustration is cutting across party lines. A fresh CBS News/YouGov poll reveals it’s not just Democrats or independents voicing concern; even many Republicans now share the same unease about the nation’s financial direction under President Trump. And the data shows they aren’t just grumbling—they’re showing it clearly in the numbers.
Trump campaigned on a promise to lower prices and restore affordability. Yet, nearly a year into his term, the opposite seems true. Everyday costs keep climbing. Grocery store totals have crept higher, monthly utility bills are steep, and new car prices have hit record highs. Inflation in September stood at 3 percent—virtually unchanged from where it was on Inauguration Day. So if anyone wonders whether this “affordability crisis” is just voter paranoia, the evidence suggests otherwise. Americans are feeling the squeeze in their daily lives.
As a result, Trump’s economic approval rating has slipped to just 36 percent—a striking plunge for a president who touts himself as a master of business. A majority of voters now believe his policies are directly increasing the cost of food and other essentials. But here’s the twist: discontent isn’t limited to Democrats. Even within his own party, dissatisfaction is rising. Four out of ten Republicans say Trump is sugarcoating the inflation problem, painting a rosier picture than reality. That’s a significant warning sign—not coming from the “fake news media,” but from inside his own base.
The administration has floated headline-grabbing ideas like issuing a new $2,000 stimulus check funded by tariffs and creating ultra-long 50-year mortgages. But economists across the spectrum agree: such proposals don’t get to the heart of what’s causing the crisis. Tariffs, after all, are taxes by another name—imposed on imported goods, raising the upfront cost for businesses. At first, many companies tried to absorb the blow, hoping the tariffs would fade quickly. But as they’ve dragged on, businesses have passed more and more of those added costs straight to consumers.
Goldman Sachs reports that consumers bore 22 percent of tariff costs in April. By October, that share had surged to 55 percent, and forecasts suggest it could reach 67 percent by mid-next year. In simple terms, the longer tariffs stay in place, the more Americans end up paying for the same goods. You don’t need complex data to see this—just check your grocery receipt. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, grocery prices rose 2.7 percent over the past year, with sharp jumps in essentials: coffee up nearly 19 percent, ground beef almost 13 percent, and bananas up nearly 7 percent.
Since Trump took office, prices have rarely stopped rising—and analysts cite two main reasons:
- Tariffs. Roughly one-third of America’s coffee supply comes from Brazil, which now faces a 50 percent import tariff.
- Labor shortages. The crackdown on undocumented immigration has reshaped the agricultural workforce, where nearly 40 percent of farmworkers are estimated to be without legal status. That means close to a million fewer laborers—a gap forcing farmers to raise wages to attract replacements, which ultimately drives prices higher for consumers.
Economists admit it’s still difficult to pinpoint the exact economic impact of these twin pressures, but there’s little debate about the direction things are heading. And it’s not just food—car prices are exploding too. The average new car now costs over $50,000, according to Kelley Blue Book, with tariffs again identified as a leading driver of inflation in the auto market.
Here’s the bottom line: voters aren’t simply reacting to pessimistic headlines or political narratives. They’re responding to what they see on their bank statements and grocery receipts. Each month of mounting expenses chips away at public confidence—and those frustrations are increasingly reflected in Trump’s polling numbers.
But here’s where it gets even more debatable: are tariffs and immigration restrictions long-term investments in American independence, or short-sighted policies fueling inflation and hardship? That’s a question worth exploring. So what do you think—are these growing costs a necessary sacrifice for economic sovereignty, or proof that the strategy isn’t working?