Overview
- Some House Republicans privately concede that Trump and the MAGA brand now hurt their midterm chances, according to NBC News reporting cited by The New Republic.
- Greg Sargent reported new polling that finds Trump deeply unpopular on gas prices as questions about corruption gain public attention.
- Sargent said Republicans in and around the White House are growing anxious about the political fallout from stubbornly high pump prices.
- Economist Douglas Holtz-Eakin warned, in remarks relayed from the Washington Post, that failing to cut gasoline costs would leave Republicans "toast."
- Prices spiked after U.S.–Iran tensions disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year, which fed broader inflation and left many households feeling worse off in recent surveys.