How Democrats can beat Trump on the economy

The president is weak on jobs and inflation, which Democrats can use to restore their working-class image

Two links caught my attention on Sunday night/Monday morning:

• First, this ad from Michigan state Senator Mallory McMorrow, which aired during the first Sunday football games of the season.

• This article from The New Republic's Greg Sargent is about recent polling on Donald Trump's tariffs (they're underwater — not a surprise, but notable).

The ad is worth watching. McMorrow makes what is becoming an increasingly popular pitch from Democrats on affordability, and adds the common line from progressives that corporate billionaires are rigging the economy against the middle class. And Sargent shares data showing Trump is failing on exactly this issue. This is not the type of ad you can imagine Democrats running successfully in 2024, but now they’re everywhere.

This inspired two big thoughts. The first is about the inevitable coming around of Democratic consultants to the arguments I've been making in this newsletter about inflation and incumbency since circa ~March. The second is a more serious line of thinking about how Democrats can defeat Trump next year, and Trumpism in the years to come. The collapse of the Republicans' lead on the economy is central to the opposition’s success.

I. Inflation hurts the incumbent, regardless of party