Democrats believe that the freefall of the stock market over the past two days spurred by President Donald Trump’s tariffs has provided them with a unified attack and messaging plan ahead of the 2026 midterms, Politico reported Friday.
Democrats are preparing to use the economy as a cudgel against congressional Republicans, framing their inaction to Trump’s tariffs as complicit in bringing down the economy, according to the report.
“I think that the party as a whole needs to be screaming from the rooftops,” Democrat strategist Alejandro Verdin told Politico, referring to the party’s response to Trump’s economic policies.
However, Trump and the administration have long acknowledged the short-term pain but have asserted it will pay off over the long haul. Trump said Thursday “the stock is going to boom.”
That was echoed by Vice President J.D. Vance later Thursday.
"Look, one bad day in the stock market compared to what President Trump said earlier today, and I think he's right about this, we're going to have a booming stock market for a long time because we're reinvesting in the United States of America," Vance told Newsmax on Thursday. "... We care the most about are American workers and about American small businesses. And they're the ones who are really going to benefit from these policies."
A National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson said Democrats miss the point that Trump’s policies are about lifting up American workers, a faction long abandoned by the left.
“Once upon a time, Democrats backed the American worker — now, they’re all in to support Beijing. President Trump and Republicans are committed to putting American workers and jobs first,” Emily Tuttle told Politico.
Instead, Democrats are banking on an economy still in turmoil in 18 months.
“Democrats have an opportunity to say that Republicans lied to you,” Matt McDermott, a Democrat pollster told Politico. “They told you that they would lower the price of all of these goods, they’ve done the opposite, and it’s time for a change.”
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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