EDITORIAL: Democrats ignore context on Trump economic record

President Donald Trump trekked to Las Vegas on Thursday to tout last year’s “no-taxes-on tips” reform. His appearance represents an attempt by the White House to highlight the administration’s economic accomplishments — under fierce attack from Democrats — heading into the vital November midterms.

A recent Quinnipiac poll found that just 38 percent of those surveyed approve of Mr. Trump’s handling of the economy, and 65 percent blame him for rising gasoline prices. This has emboldened Democrats, who see an opportunity to flip both houses of Congress this fall. It has also led them to develop severe amnesia regarding the previous president’s performance.

For instance, this week former Vice President Kamala Harris took to social media to chide Mr. Trump for gasoline prices that are “too high,” adding that “the American people are paying the price.” Other Democrats reacted with glee when the March inflation report showed a 0.9 percent uptick, amounting to 3.3 percent annually. They have conveniently black-holed the fact that, under President Joe Biden, inflation hit 9 percent in June 2022 — the highest in four decades — and gasoline prices exceeded $5 a gallon thanks to counterproductive policies pushed by progressives.

None of that will console working-class families struggling to stretch paychecks. But from a political standpoint, Republicans would do well to emphasize such vital context. Mr. Trump would also be wise to slow down on his tariff campaign and to instead stress progress the administration has made regarding tax and regulatory reform. A Federal Reserve analysis released last week attributed rising costs directly to the White House’s import duties.

“Under our baseline estimates,” write authors Robert Minton, Madeleine Ray and Mariano Somale, “tariff changes through November 2025 raised core goods (personal consumption expenditure) prices cumulatively by 3.1 percent through February 2026, explaining the entirety of excess inflation in the core goods category relative to pre-pandemic inflation rates.”

As most economists predicted, trade wars put upward pressure on prices, leaving consumers to foot the bill. This will certainly find its way into Democratic talking points as the campaign evolves — never mind that Democrats have long advocated protectionist trade policies as a means of currying favor with their Big Labor benefactors.

A more market-oriented trade policy would alleviate inflationary pressure, likely easing burdens for the middle class heading into the election. That would help the White House counteract the effect of higher prices at the pump, which will linger for months after hostilities with Iran come to a close.

The president has done plenty to advance tax and regulatory reform. Denying reality on tariffs threatens to undermine that progress.