Financial Times Launches US Affordability Tracker Before 2026 Midterms as 64% Disapprove of Trump on Inflation
Updated
Updated · Financial Times · Aug 25
Financial Times Launches US Affordability Tracker Before 2026 Midterms as 64% Disapprove of Trump on Inflation
3 articles · Updated · Financial Times · Aug 25
Summary
The Financial Times has launched a monthly US Affordability Tracker to follow prices for groceries, petrol, electricity and housing nationally and in battleground states ahead of November's midterm elections.
64% of registered voters disapproved in August of President Donald Trump's handling of inflation in an FT-Focaldata poll, as the paper says his Iran war and global tariffs are adding to price pressures.
Energy has taken the clearest immediate hit since Trump launched the Iran war on February 28, with higher fuel costs also feeding into grocery prices through trucking and farming.
Battleground-state differences could prove decisive: petrol has risen nationwide but states including Alaska, Michigan and Maine have been hit especially hard, while food and housing costs vary sharply by region.
The tracker also aims to capture whether wages keep pace with living costs and how inflation feels to voters, factors likely to shape control of the House and Senate.