President Donald Trump has never suffered from an attention deficit.
asserted
Trump → suffer → deficit
For more than a decade, Trump has demonstrated an almost supernatural ability to decide what America will talk about.
asserted
America → demonstrate → what
A late-night broadside against somebody who had the gall to criticize him.
asserted
who → have → him
Trump throws the ball and Washington and the media chase it.
asserted
Washington → throw → it
But something interesting is happening as we head toward the midterms.
asserted
we → happen → midterms
The country may be getting tired of chasing.
uncertain
country → get → ?
The latest Fox News poll contains a number that should be flashing in giant red letters inside the White House:
asserted
that → contain → House
Asked, without being given a list, to name the most important issue facing the country, 34% of registered voters said the cost of living.
asserted
% → ask → living
Another 14% said the economy and jobs.
asserted
% → say → economy
Nothing else came close.
asserted
Nothing → come → ?
AI and data centers, despite consuming approximately 94% of the oxygen in corporate America, registered at 1%.
asserted
AI → consume → %
They are saying: It's the prices.
asserted
It → say → ?
And yet much of the political conversation seems to be happening somewhere else.
asserted
much → seem → conversation
Trump is battling the media.
asserted
Trump → battle → media
He is talking about his predecessor.
asserted
He → talk → predecessor
He is dealing with Iran, China, immigration and AI.
asserted
He → deal → Iran
Presidents do not get to spend their days staring at the price of eggs.
asserted
Presidents → get → eggs
But voters don't experience the presidency as a policy seminar.
asserted
voters → experience → seminar
They experience it at the grocery store.
asserted
They → experience → store
The latest Fox News poll contains a number that should be flashing in giant red letters inside the White House:
asserted
that → contain → House
Asked, without being given a list, to name the most important issue facing the country, 34% of registered voters said the cost of living.
asserted
% → ask → living
Another 14% said the economy and jobs.
asserted
% → say → economy
When the utility bill arrives.
asserted
bill → arrive → ?
When they look at what it costs to buy a house, see a doctor or fill their grocery cart.
asserted
it → look → cart
Sixty-two percent say grocery prices are a major problem.
asserted
prices → say → ?
Sixty-one percent say the same about gas prices.
asserted
percent → say → prices
Fifty-four percent say it about housing.
asserted
percent → say → housing
And 63% say the Trump administration has made the economy worse.
asserted
economy → say → ?
The administration can point to its own economic strength data.
asserted
administration → point → data
Employment has remained resilient, and the stock market has performed strongly.
asserted
market → remain → ?
Fox's own analysis recently noted job growth and unemployment of 4.1%.
asserted
analysis → note → %
But this is where presidents (and politicians writ large) discover one of the more irritating rules of politics:
You don't get to tell voters how they feel about the economy.
asserted
they → writ → economy
They tell you.
asserted
They → tell → you
Biden spent much of his presidency pointing to macroeconomic statistics that were considerably healthier than the public mood.
asserted
that → spend → mood
Inflation was coming down.
asserted
Inflation → come → ?
Jobs were being created.
asserted
Jobs → create → ?
The economy had avoided the recession many economists predicted.
asserted
economists → avoid → recession
And voters kept saying some version of: That's lovely.
asserted
That → keep → version
Do you know how much a dozen eggs cost?
asserted
eggs → know → much
Trump understood that disconnect better than almost anyone.
asserted
Trump → understand → anyone
…and 39 more, not listed.
The Aporia
