Trump and Republicans can win the affordability battle heres how

What a paradox: Almost all US economic indicators are strong today, and America’s economy is the envy of the world — yet consumers, stressed by gas prices at almost $4.50 a gallon, are in a bad mood.That’s why Republicans need to go bold and sell the good news about President Donald Trump’s economy to voters. After all, median household incomes jumped to an all-time-high of $87,500 in 2025, while poverty rates fell to an all-time low.The latest jobs numbers show very low numbers of firings and layoffs, and record low sign-ups for unemployment benefits, as manufacturing and construction surge.The Energy Department just announced that domestic oil production is at all-time record levels, thanks to Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” policies.Meanwhile the 401(k) plans held by more than 100 million Americans, a useful gauge of household wealth, are up an average of $25,000 — after losing $24,000, in real terms, under former President Joe Biden.The stock market is at an all-time high, nearly doubling in the decade since Trump was first elected, even as the markets of two of our major economic rivals, China and Japan, have been flat. But elections are about tomorrow, not yesterday — so celebrating these gains, strong as they are, isn’t enough to convince voters to stay the course.And while the $5,000 government “dividend” payment that Trump floated in September may be a political non-starter, there’s a better way.Republicans should pledge a sustainable “financial dividend” by continuing to slash taxes for middle-class families — expanding the work they started in their One Big Beautiful Bill a year ago. That means making the bill’s individual tax cuts (tax-free tips, overtime and Social Security payments) permanent, along with 100% permanent depreciation for machinery, equipment, plants and data centers — pro-growth incentives that will expand the jobs boom. They should also eliminate the unfair capital-gains inflation tax on stocks and...