What matters to Americans is that the war and tariffs have raised the cost of living and reduced their purchasing power. That’s what Trump is paying for
Who escaped inflation so that Donald Trump’s Republicans could? The Democrats’ blue tsunami swept across the U.S. in the midterm elections. From Alaska to Texas and from the East Coast deep into the heartland. And don’t think they care much about the war in Iran because they’re pacifists or because they find it inappropriate that their president imposed tariffs on a friendly country, such as Canada. What concerns them is that the war and the tariffs have raised the cost of living and reduced their purchasing power. That’s what Trump is paying for.
And don’t think that Trump is paying the price because it’s his fault that he went to war with Iran and imposed tariffs. Even if the opposite had happened—that is, if the Iranians had closed the Strait of Hormuz and the tariffs had been the result of an agreement at the World Trade Organization— it would still bear the brunt of the cost of living, though perhaps not to the same extent. Just as, after all, many other governments do in countries where elections are being held.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Don’t take it personally, Donald
From Trumpian self-referentiality to democratic self-correction
How much more popular is Emmanuel Macron in France, where protesters have even set fire to a city hall, when recent polls for the April 2027 elections show his party’s candidate with just 4.6% of the vote? German Chancellor Friedrich Merz isn’t faring any better. In the September 20 elections in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, his Christian Democrats didn’t even clear the 5% electoral threshold needed to be represented in the state parliament!
There are, however, those who are weathering the storm. In Britain, for example, the Labour Party has not only survived but is also doing well in the polls. This, of course, wouldn’t have happened if they hadn’t managed to “sacrifice” Keir Starmer in the middle of summer and replace him with the fresh-faced and generally likable Andy Burnham. Beyond the change in prime minister, however, they had to call a spade a spade regarding Brexit, pin the blame on him, and flirt with Brussels—even with the prospect of returning. Labour is also receiving significant help from Russia’s threats, as an external threat always rallies support around the leadership, whether you’re in Britain or Iran.
The external threat is also bolstering Mark Carney’s Liberals in Canada, despite inflation. As long as the “bad cowboy” Trump is around to threaten annexation and impose tariffs, Canadians will rally around the charismatic former central banker. Trump’s bluster also helped Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and if it hadn’t been for the tragic accident, he might have had a slim chance of reelection.
Both the government and the opposition in Cyprus are watching this unfold and sharpening their pre-election knives. Time will tell for whom the bell of inflation tolls in our country as well…
