Congressional Democrats see an opening to woo back voters the party lost in the 2024 election as concerns about the economy persist in President Donald Trump’s first 100 days.
Trump heavily campaigned on lowering inflation rates and strengthening the U.S. economy as he vied to reclaim the Oval Office, promising voters he would “immediately” bring prices down on Day One of his second term.
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But Trump and his administration have walked back from that promise as negative economic indicators have piled up, including rising costs of eggs due to avian flu, and a rise in inflation for the fourth straight month in January, which included the end of President Joe Biden’s term. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell also indicated last week that the Fed would not be swayed to cut its rates despite Trump’s calls to lower interest rates.
Egg prices increased more than 15% in January, the largest increase seen for eggs since 2015. From this time last year, egg prices are up 53%.
House Democrats have lambasted the Republican president over his economic agenda, including swiping at Republicans’ plans for reconciliation that focus on extending Trump’s first-term tax cuts and reducing government spending.
“Trump and House Republicans have spent their first weeks here, putting billionaires up front at inauguration, trying to cut taxes for billionaires and waging culture wars,” Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) told the Washington Examiner. “They’ve done nothing to reduce costs or raise wages for Americans. And I think what voters, whether you’re Democrat, Republican, or neither, should really be paying attention to that.”
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) struck a similar tone in a post to X on Monday, saying, “Eggs and coffee around 20 percent more expensive. Airplanes crashing. Mass layoffs. Tariffs. Data breaches. Shutting down energy projects. Letting food and medicine rot. Either they are really s****y at helping you, or you are not the one they want to help.”
Democrats have struggled to find a messaging platform following the 2024 election as Trump has issued a flurry of executive actions regarding everything from deportations to plastic straws to removing diversity, equity, and inclusion practices from the federal government.
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, told the Washington Examiner that Democrats would “continue to talk about important issues that are at the kitchen table for so many Americans: price of eggs, gas, groceries, rising rents.
“Those are the concerns that the American public have, and none of the policies that Donald Trump is rolling out will do anything to address those,” he said.
Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) contended that Republicans are trying to “betray the middle class by making all kinds of cuts to the programs that they rely on.”
Balint continued, “People are going to feel it, and at some point they’re going to realize they’ve been conned because that’s what it is. It’s a massive con, and they are going to watch the Republicans, once again, give the obscenely wealthy people in this country another tax cut while they are just living paycheck to paycheck, I do think they will have to see the reality in front of their faces every time they’re in their grocery store.”
Meanwhile, the White House has pointed to the Biden administration as responsible for continued economic troubles. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the inflation numbers were “worse than expected” but said it was an indication that the “Biden administration indeed left us with a mess to deal with” while addressing the rise in inflation in the consumer price index report last week.
“It’s far worse than I think anybody anticipated because, unfortunately, the previous administration was not transparent in where the economy truly was,” Leavitt said.
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Trump himself has also pointed at his predecessor regarding inflation, writing “BIDEN INFLATION UP!” last week in a post to Truth Social.
About 6-in-10 voters who reported the economy and jobs as the most important issues facing the country voted for Trump in November, according to the Associated Press. He also won the majority of voters who were “very concerned” about costs of food, housing, and healthcare.