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A warning for Republicans: Stop telling struggling Americans the economy is fine
October 01, 2026
The GOP is making the same mistake that helped sink Democrats.
Americans may be hearing positive economic talking points from politicians, but Jesse Kelly tells BlazeTV host Steve Deace many families are living a very different reality.
“There are little things that matter and then there are big things that really matter,” Kelly says. “And here’s the truth. Because of the COVID lockdown stuff and printing $7 trillion ... people have lost 30% to 50% of their income, basically their earning power, because the dollar’s gone down in just the last five years.”
“And so now ... there is this tidal wave of unhappiness across the country as we’ve had this tiny window of a massive drop in people’s standard of living,” he explains.
“And I really don’t think either Republicans or Democrats truly understand that that is the sentiment across the board of the United States of America. People are unhappy. I can’t afford anything anymore,” he adds.
And since Donald Trump is the man in charge, he’s the one who is “going to get white hot hate.”
“People remember what it was like to afford things before he got there,” Kelly says, noting that previously, the hate “fell on Joe Biden and the Democrat Party after they stole an election and installed that cadaver for four years.”
And despite the economic pain so many Americans are in, Trump continues to claim that the economy is doing great.
“What happens is you’ve taken somebody at their lowest possible moment, and you’ve kicked dirt in their face when you do that,” Kelly says. “And you never want to do that as a politician. You’ve taken somebody whose dog just died, and you walk up to him and say, ‘I bet you didn’t walk enough. That’s probably why your dog just died.’”
Now, Trump is giving speeches at rallies and telling Americans the price of gas is “worth it because of Iran.”
“Gas prices are through the roof. Diesel $6.50 a gallon. Prices have not come down. Interest rates are going up. The anger’s there, if not even worse. And you have people in the Trump administration saying, ‘If you can’t afford beef, eat chicken.’
“That messaging is freaking awful,” Kelly says.
“And that better change now,” he warns, “considering we’re like five weeks before the election. We have five weeks to get that reversed. If they want to know what to do, look at JD Vance. He's the one who’s out there doing it right.”
“‘I know you’re hurting. I’m sorry you’re hurting. We’re fighting for you,’” he mimics.
“That’s how you message when the public is angry,” he adds.
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BlazeTV Staff
News, opinion, and entertainment for people who love the American way of life.
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