TRUMP FAILS ON THE ECONOMY
Despite the White House’s recent scramble to assuage voters’ growing affordability concerns and the president giving himself an “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus” on the economy in an interview with POLITICO, Trump’s handling of the economy has hit a new low, according to new AP-NORC polling. Only 31 percent of U.S. adults now approve of how the president is handling the economy — down from 40 percent in March. The latest number marks the lowest economic approval Trump has registered in an AP-NORC poll across both of his terms. Among Independents, that number is down to 15% approving and 80% disapproving. Trump’s own voters are turning on him. Navigator Research shows a steady, sizable share of Trump voters (about 15% of them) say they “regret” their vote, with even more saying they are “disappointed” in him.
The American people are not buying Trump’s rosy assessment of the economy anymore because they are experiencing higher prices: groceries, electricity and other consumer goods are higher and the tariffs are to blame for much of that rise in cost. After Trump’s recent rally in Pennsylvania in which he tried to impose his cheerful view of the economy on the rally goers who are his core supporters, many of them rejected his overly optimistic view of the state of our country’s economy. Most Americans also do not believe Biden is responsible for higher prices anymore. Trump is to blame for this economy now, almost a year into his administration.
Politico reports: Almost half — 46 percent — say the cost of living in the U.S. is the worst they can ever remember it being, a view held by 37 percent of 2024 Trump voters. Americans also say that the affordability crisis is Trump’s responsibility, with 46 percent saying it is his economy now and his administration is responsible for the costs they struggle with.
NBC News’ Garrett Haake spoke with voters in Scranton, after Trump’s rally where reactions were mixed.
“Sure, yeah,” said resident Trevor Williams. Others, like Elizabeth Moore, laughed off the president’s self-evaluation. Some residents described a complicated economic picture. “The prices in here are crazy,” said Mike Pastore, pointing inside a grocery store. “But… the 401(k)s are going up. It’s a mixed bag.” Asked if he’d vote for Trump again, voter Tom Tompkins responded, “No… because of the affordability.”
MIAMI ELECTS A DEMOCRATIC MAYOR
Meanwhile, affordability was also the driving issue in Miami’s mayoral race, where a Democrat won the seat for the first time in about 30 years. With control of Congress at stake in next year’s midterm elections, cost-of-living concerns are shaping up as the defining political battleground. The mayoral win in Miami for Dems is part of a huge Democratic sweep in special elections across the country that reflects an electorate turning against Trump and this Republican administration.
TRUMP’S DOJ FAILS TO GET GRAND JURIES AND JUDGES TO BUY INTO TRUMP’S WAR ON HIS ENEMIES
Letitia James
Trump’s DOJ failed for the third time in its attempt to indict New York’s Attorney General, Letitia James. She was on Trump’s enemies list because she dared to try to hold him accountable for his civil violations of New York law. She won her civil fraud case against Trump in 2024 before Judge Engoron. Trump and other named defendants were ordered to pay more than $450 million in total, which represents $363.8 million in disgorgement and pre-judgment interest. At the time of that decision, James wrote:
“Today, justice has been served. This is a tremendous victory for this state, this nation, and for everyone who believes that we all must play by the same rules — even former presidents.
“For years, Donald Trump engaged in massive fraud to falsely inflate his net worth and unjustly enrich himself, his family, and his organization. While he may have authored the ‘Art of the Deal,’ our case revealed that his business was based on the art of the steal.
That got Letitia James on Trump’s hit list. Trump ordered AG Pam Bondi to go after James. James was indicted for mortgage fraud in October based on allegations she improperly rented out one of her properties, though the charges were widely criticized by legal experts. But now, on the DOJ’s third try to indict Letitia James based on extraordinarily weak evidence of any wrongdoing, they have failed to indict her.
The first failure was the result of an invalid appointment. But there was more to that story that proves this case is about retribution not justice. Halligan, a former beauty contestant turned lawyer, had been working as an insurance lawyer and had no experience as a prosecutor. She joined Trump’s inner circle after Trump saw her one day wearing a suit and learned she was an attorney. He apparently figured that she was the perfect lawyer to represent his interests- heaven sent from central casting it would seem.
In January 2025, Trump named Halligan as the White House senior associate staff secretary. She advocated for action against exhibits at Smithsonian Institution museums that she saw as disparaging the United States.
When none of the Assistant US Attorneys in the Virginia office that had been tasked with going after Letitia James would agree to take that case to the grand jury, including the US Attorney himself who quit rather than put his name on this indictment, Trump named Halligan as a second interim US Attorney so she would do his dirty work. It was a Hail Mary pass that failed. A federal judge threw out the government’s cases against both Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey in November, ruling U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, who brought the indictments, was not validly appointed.
Trump, never one to concede a loss, continued to pursue his vendetta through the DOJ. Two different grand juries- the first in Norfolk, Virginia and the next in Alexandria, Virginia, using other Assistant US Attorneys who had been properly appointed were asked to indict James. Both attempts failed. Each attempt to indict James adds to the likelihood that she will be able to establish that this prosecution of her by the Trump administration is illegitimate either vindictive prosecution or selective prosecution which would result in the case being thrown out even if a grand jury might eventually sign a true bill to indict her.
TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION GOON SQUADS ALSO GET ‘NO BILLS’ FROM GRAND JURIES
In Chicago, federal grand juries are refusing to indict people who are involved in protests at the Broadview ICE facility, including a couple accused of assaulting agents and carrying guns, and most recently, charges against Nathan Griffin, the manager of Laugh Factory who shut a door on a federal agent. This signals significant resistance against federal immigration actions and shows community support for protesters.
INDIANA STANDS UP TO TRUMP ON RE-DISTRICTING AND MISSOURI VOTERS DO TOO
As The Atlantic reports:
As lawmakers convened in Indianapolis on Monday to consider a bill backed by President Donald Trump to redraw the state’s congressional map (against explicit Indiana constitutional law), all that separated them from protesters who had gathered in a corridor just outside the capitol chamber was a series of glass windows. Inside the room, chants of “Just vote no!” and “We want fair maps!” could be heard as clearly as the legislative debate.
The Indiana state Senate met to consider not only what is unconstitutional under Indiana law but also defies the will of many voters of Indiana who were standing up against Trump administration overreach. These lawmakers were under threat from Trump and his allies who have vowed to target Republican lawmakers who vote against a redistricting plan that could wipe out the state’s Democratic congressional representation and protect the U.S. House GOP majority. Over the past several weeks, these Republican state legislators have faced a wave of “swatting” incidents, bomb threats, and other anonymous acts of intimidation, leading some to worry about their personal safety. The current climate of fear in Indiana, lawmakers in both parties told me, is without modern precedent in the state.
Nevertheless, in a powerful reproach to President Donald Trump, the Indiana Senate voted against this mid-decade redistricting that would have gerrymandered the state’s congressional maps. The bill went down in flames by a vote of 31-19. At least 11 GOP lawmakers had received death threats ahead of the vote — a sign of the dangerous extremism that Trump has encouraged to keep himself in power as he and his administration gets weaker in terms of popularity.
In Missouri the fight over redistricting began in July, when President Donald Trump began pressuring Missouri Republicans to change the map to give the GOP an edge in seven of the state’s eight districts instead of the six they currently hold. But Missourians who oppose this redistricting gathered 300,000 signatures from voters who want to thwart the administration.
TRUMP IS EVEN LOSING HIS MAGA BASE
As David French writes: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/07/opinion/tennessee-trump-special-election.html
The title of his op-ed is “This is What It Looks Like When Your Coalition is Coming Apart at the Seams”. The great division happening in the Republican Party that supported Trump was best articulated by Marjorie Taylor Greene when she was asked if she is still MAGA. She said she was “American First” not MAGA. That’s where the split is most pronounced. American First Republicans want working Americans to do better. In other words, they are the more populist wing of the Republican Party.
The MAGAs are the ones who are slavishly allied with Trump come hell or high water. Trump’s failed policies are causing the America First wing to pull away from Trump. As his policies damage the country, Republicans in the House are also looking ahead at a future without Trump and deciding they need to protect themselves and distinguish themselves from the damage he is inflicting on our country if they hope to have a political future.
WHY TRUMP WILL KEEP ON LOSING
Trump lives on Earth 2: an America that is doing great! and is better than ever and has beaten inflation! And his Earth 2 portrayal of the state of the country may be spot on for his rich buddies in the fossil fuel industry, the tech broligarchs and the richest 1% who are doing well enough to buy big yachts and bigger houses.
But Trump got elected on a populist platform that excited many lower income Hispanics, Blacks and young men from the manosphere to get off their couches and out the door to vote for him, a president they thought would help them to have better lives. They envisioned getting jobs and becoming the protectors and providers for their current or future families, to become the successful men that they yearned to be. These voters got the same thing that the chumps got who bought into Trump University, Trump steaks, and so much more: namely, a Trump con job.
Trump is incapable of empathizing with the reality on Earth 1 that affects most of his core supporters, namely that the cost of living is too high for working Americans. He is frustrated that his voters are losing faith in his ability to fulfill his campaign promise that he would lower prices “on day one”. Telling Americans that the stock market is up does nothing to convince them that their groceries are not costing more. They can see and experience the reality for themselves every day at the grocery store or when they try to get a job and cannot or they want to buy a house and cannot. Most of Trump’s supporters don’t have the money to play in the stock market.
Trump will run afoul of the American electorate even more when:
- His Congress fails to continue the Affordable Care subsidies,
- Trump continues his alleged war against drugs by attacking Venezuela to try to get regime change, so that Trump can commandeer the vast oil reserves in that country after promising he would be the president that would bring peace to the world,
- Prices continue to be too high thanks to Trump’s tariffs,
- Farmers get money from the government that does not make up for their lost Chinese buyers who are buying their soy from other countries.
I could go on.
Trump is running into some of the same problems that Biden did. Too old and too unaware of the reality for working Americans. But Trump is in even greater peril than Biden ever was because Earth 2 (fake America) is finally colliding with Earth 1 (real America) and Earth 1 is winning.
If Trump and his MAGA allies and election denialists cannot prevent enough people from voting in 2026, the House and possibly the Senate will flip red to blue and Trump will be investigated by the House for the astounding level of corruption and illegality he has engaged in in the first 10 months of his benighted presidency.
Trump is drowning. Hmm. Should Pete Hegseth call for a double tap strike and put Americans out of their misery?