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Tue., Dec. 9, 2025

Republican women, most recently Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, are becoming increasingly vocal about their party’s issues with women and their leaders. I also spoke to Mike Hixenbaugh about a yearlong and disturbing investigation into child abuse in the Assemblies of God church.

It feels like we are moving at a breakneck speed to make it to Christmas. Heading to the subway this morning, I was listening to a podcast that reminded me that telling yourself that good things will happen — and believing it — can lead to good things happening. So try it. 

Today’s newsletter was produced with Senior Editor Michelle Garcia. Let's get into it.  

It’s unclear how much extra credit you need to get this sort of grade, but Donald Trump says his economy gets an "A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus.” Do Americans agree? For 63% of registered voters, the answer is no, which is a reason why the president is hitting the ground in Pennsylvania, rallying supporters on the cost of living.

Yesterday, Politico’s Dasha Burns asked Trump about a supporter who said he hasn’t done enough to lower costs, specifically “groceries, utility, insurance, and the basic cost of running” a small business.

Trump said prices have come down substantially during his 11 months in office, citing energy, gas and rollbacks on some tariffs. He is also touting other negotiations he’s overseen, including the tariffs, which he said will bring in trillions, and allowing some American-made AI chips to be sold in China. It may be years, however, before the fruits of these negotiations turn into jobs in the U.S. and a more affordable cost of living. 

It’s worked before: The prospect of building a strong economy that would benefit working people has been a huge part of Trump's campaign, going back to his first White House win. The message speaks directly to people struggling with job insecurity, inflation, high housing costs, rising health care and necessary child care. He won in 2024 largely because enough people believed he was better equipped than Kamala Harris to drive the economy.

(David Paul Morris / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Fast-forward a year, though, and Trump is talking about affordability as a false narrative pushed by Democrats. But nearly two-thirds of respondents to an NBC News survey in October said they believed Trump was failing to bring down costs and supercharge the economy as promised; a more recent Gallup poll echoes this.

Why it matters: Congressional Republicans are worried that Trump is not doing enough to clearly and decisively address people’s concerns with affordability. In 2024, Democrats “failed to really hammer the economy and it cost them the election,” Rep. Tony Gonzalez, a Texas Republican, told my colleagues. “If we as Republicans fail to do the same, it wouldn’t surprise me if we had a similar turnout.”

When it comes to kitchen table economics, though, high earners will keep earning more — there may even be some trillionaires on the horizon. Lower earners have stayed stagnant for years. Their paychecks aren’t rising, while prices are. 

A survey of 1,065 professionals from January showed financial stress is reaching astronomical levels for American workers, as 73% say their salaries don't cover their living costs. In October, a Goldman Sachs analysis said 40% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck with no discernible savings. Tons of cash is being funneled into artificial intelligence, which is making some people richer while also creating anxiety for workers, especially younger ones. The president, 11 months into his term, calls the issue of affordability a reflection of "Biden's economy.’

Women of the GOP, including some of the highest-profile members of the party, say they are growing increasingly tired of their leaders marginalizing them. 

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia sent shock waves when she announced she would resign to Congress over her frustrations with party leaders and the president. South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace penned an essay in The New York Times yesterday about women in the party being cast aside by male leaders for decades. For more on this growing call from within the House, I turned to Capitol Hill correspondent Mel Zanona.