Victor Davis Hanson: The Left Framed Trump on ‘Affordability’ Crisis. Here’s What Trump Must Do Now.

The Daily Signal

Government, Daily News, News, Politics

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 23 December 2025

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“Affordability” is the word going into the 2026 midterm elections—and a GOP win is incumbent on Trump’s ability to communicate the truth on the economy. Victor Davis Hanson says that, despite recent economic wins such as falling inflation rates and tax cuts, the public perception of economic pain persists because Democrats have successfully shifted blame onto President Donald Trump from the real culprit—former President Joe Biden. How did this happen? And can the Trump administration fix this perception in less than a year? Hanson breaks it down on today’s episode of "Victor Davis Hanson: In a Few Words.” (0:00) Introduction (0:21) Key Issues in the 2026 Midterms (1:45) Trump’s Economic Wins (3:32) Democrat Misconceptions (4:55) Foreign Policy Focus (6:42) Conclusion We need your help to ensure The Daily Signal can continue to counter the liberal media's lies with the truth. Support The Daily Signal’s work today by becoming a Signal Elite Supporter. Your tax-deductible monthly gift will help: 👉Help us provide free access to Victor Davis Hanson’s video commentary 👉Fund investigative reporting on the stories the liberal media will not cover 👉Counter the liberal media's lies 👉Keep The Daily Signal free to the public http://dailysignal.com/donate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Shopify. With Shopify, 2026 is the year you make it happen. It gives you the tools to build your dream store, online and in person. Plus with marketing built in, it'll help you reach exactly who you need to. Join the millions who've already made the leap, like Jim Shark and all birds, and ring in the new year with Shopify.
0:23.4	Sign up for your £1 per month trial at Shopify.com.uk slash Spotify.
0:43.9	Our generous Signal elite supporters make this video possible.
0:46.0	Please consider joining today.
0:50.0	Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for the Daily Signal.
0:56.8	The 2006 midterms, as we've talked about, will be determined by the economy.
1:03.6	That was brought home by a recent Harvard Harris poll where some dozen issues were arranged,
1:09.1	and the surveyed public was asked to rate their importance and their own opinion.
1:12.3	They ranged from the economy, foreign affairs,
1:20.7	the border, higher education problems, the transgender, and overwhelmingly number one was the economy,
1:26.6	and it was laced in the term that the left is used called affordability. And they have,
1:39.0	that one issue has driven down Donald Trump's basically 48 to 50 approval ratings the last, oh, two months ago down into the lower 40s.
1:40.9	We don't know how accurate these polls are. But the left has made the argument that the prices are about 21%, 22% higher than when
1:51.6	Donald Trump left, and they are on average about 5.5.2 higher per year. And Donald Trump in 10
2:00.1	months did not lower. Now, I know you're saying, Victor,
2:02.6	Victor, that's absurd. It was Joe Biden who did what you just said, exactly. So why is that issue
2:10.2	hurting Donald Trump so much? And what can he do to stop it? Well, the answer is that he assumed he, I'm using Donald Trump and his name and he for
2:21.9	the whole Trump conglomerate, the whole team.
2:25.3	What they assumed was anybody they thought, anybody who followed the 2020 campaign,
2:32.2	would understand that Donald Trump won by pointing to Joe Biden's record.
2:38.1	Twelve million illegal aliens, many of them are most on the dole, draining the social services
2:43.6	network, undercutting labor prices by cheap labor, bringing in drugs, a big cost.
	...

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