Mark Meadows told Newsmax on Wednesday that voters are about to feel the economic upswing President Donald Trump has promised.
He said that lower interest rates and easing costs will matter more at the ballot box than foreign crises, even as the White House juggles flash points abroad.
Meadows, a former White House chief of staff in the Trump administration and former Republican congressman from North Carolina, said food prices will be the political center of gravity as campaigns turn toward November.
"The big issue is going to be the economy and how cheap chicken is, and a box of cereal and milk," Meadows said on "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," casting grocery costs as the practical measure voters will use to judge the administration and congressional candidates.
Meadows predicted that the economic pitch the president has been making will soon feel tangible to households.
"But I can tell you this month, next month, and the two or three months to follow, that you're going to see the economic boom that he's [Trump has] been talking about actually come to fruition," Meadows said.
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He added that the country will see lower interest rates, while acknowledging that it can be difficult for people to "cut through the noise" to get that message.
Meadows argued that foreign policy, while "critically important," usually does not drive voter turnout. He said international problems "don't bring votes," even as he cited Iran, Venezuela, and other hot spots being discussed in Washington.
Meadows said other themes could rise in specific places, including allegations of fraud in Minnesota and debates tied to enforcement of immigration law, but he returned to affordability as the main focus of voter decisions.
Meadows also pointed to the fight for control of the House and redistricting as the immediate political terrain.
He referenced Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and said he did not see Schumer turning his talk of four targeted states — Alaska, Maine, North Carolina, and Ohio — into a clean sweep.
"But I think the real key is that most of the focus right now is on the House and on the redistricting and what happens there. But out of those four states that Sen. [Chuck] Schumer mentioned, I don't give him much hope of parlaying a grand slam home run and picking up all four of those," he said.
He spoke as Trump signed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 into law on Wednesday, a bipartisan measure that changes what kinds of milk schools can offer through the National School Lunch Program.
The White House said the bill modifies requirements for milk provided by participating schools.
Reuters reported that the new law allows schools to serve whole and reduced-fat milk alongside low-fat and fat-free options, a shift from Obama-era rules. which restricted the choices to low-fat or fat-free milk.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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