As the festive season approaches, many Americans are feeling increasingly disenchanted with the current occupant of the White House. They perceive him as prioritizing relationships with billionaires over addressing the inflationary pressures that are squeezing household finances.

President Donald Trump frequently touts securing trillions in fresh investments from thriving tech companies, yet this achievement seems disconnected from the reality most Americans face: escalating grocery bills. His focus on deal-making appears misaligned with their immediate concerns.

According to a recent online survey conducted by Daily Mail and J.L./Partners, which included approximately 1,250 registered U.S. voters, inflation and the rising cost of living top the list of grievances against Trump’s administration.

These issues, along with healthcare, pose significant challenges as Trump’s second term progresses into its second year, potentially undermining his tenure.

Sarah Selip, founder of 917 Strategies and a former GOP House aide, remarked to the Daily Mail that “affordability will be the buzzword of the 2026 election cycle.”

Conversely, respondents showed the least concern for issues such as cryptocurrency, small business regulations, artificial intelligence, and energy policy, despite these being areas where the president has heavily invested his time and resources.

The reticence over the lack of cash comes as the interests of blue-collar and white-collar workers have largely been replaced with those of tuxedo-wearing titans who get invited to White House soirees.

Since September, the president has had at least four executive actions related to AI; he has also attended at least three tuxedo-laden dinner parties with executives like Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Apple’s Tim Cook and world leaders such as Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman and the UK’s King Charles.

Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and President Donald Trump during a dinner with tech leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025

The latest Daily Mail/J.L. Partners poll found that the top concern of Americans is the rising cost of living. Respondents were least concerned with AI, crypto, infrastructure and energy, all topics Trump has recently devoted a lot of time to

But voters don’t care about AI, crypto, small business regulations or infrastructure, the Daily Mail/JL Partners survey found. Those initiatives rank as the four lowest priorities among survey respondents.

‘Voters are frustrated,’ Brittany Martinez, executive director of the right-leaning political firm Principles First, told the Daily Mail. ‘While the administration touts billion-dollar announcements and high-profile corporate deals, most Americans are focused on far more basic needs: whether they can afford groceries, gas, and a good life.’

However, the White House was quick to blame the previous Democratic administration for consumer pricing woes.

‘After four years of economic calamity under Biden, American families will continue to feel economic relief in the months ahead as the positive effects of massive tax cuts, deregulation, and energy dominance continue to materialize,’ White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told the Daily Mail. 

The Daily Mail/J.L. Partners survey also found several other critical signals that may spell concern for Republicans with a year until the midterms.

Trump matched his worst disapproval rating so far, 55 percent, as Vice President JD Vance and the rest of the Cabinet all saw declines in favorability.

‘Through a combination of the shutdown, and one year on from the election, voters seem to have turned around and asked: ‘am I better off than I was a year ago?’. The answer for many – going by this poll – is no, or even that things have got worse,’ J..L. Partners founder James Johnson told the Daily Mail. 

Meanwhile, the approval rating for the Democratic Party and its top 2028 champions, like California Governor Gavin Newsom, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former VP Kamala Harris, has ticked up.

The latest survey found that California Governor Gavin Newsom would beat VP JD Vance in a 2028 matchup 43 percent to 36 percent with the remainder unsure or not willing to vote. The results indicate voters are warming to progressive candidates, as ex-VP Kamala Harris and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would also beat Vance

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Trump, Apple CEO Tim Cook and VP JD Vance in the Oval Office in August

All three of the aforementioned liberals would, at least at this moment, beat Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a hypothetical 2028 head-to-head matchup, the poll data showed.

‘When families feel squeezed and Washington seems disconnected from their day-to-day reality, they naturally start exploring alternatives,’ Martinez said. ‘The growing openness to progressive candidates in this poll is beyond ideology — it’s about urgency.’

If the GOP takes its eyes off the proverbial affordability ball, it could strike out during the midterms. Democrats only need to flip three seats in the House and four in the Senate to take control of Congress. 

‘American families across the political spectrum are experiencing a growing sense of economic hopelessness,’ Republican strategist Tristan Shakespeare told the Daily Mail.

‘When the average household can no longer afford groceries, housing, healthcare, and other basic essentials without falling further behind, it’s inevitable that people start searching for alternatives. Many feel abandoned by a system that claims to prioritize the broad public but consistently fails to deliver.’

And that, he says, is leading to a rise in dissident political figures on the left and right.

‘This disillusionment is fueling demands for systemic change—manifesting as calls for National Socialism from figures like Nick Fuentes on the right and Democratic Socialism from leaders like Zohran Mamdani on the left.’

The president’s 2024 campaign focused heavily on driving down prices that ticked up under former President Joe Biden, but so far, consumers have yet to register the savings. The poll found that Democrats are more trusted on cost-of-living policies than Republicans.

‘He made massive, huge promises that everything was going to get better and that everything was Joe Biden’s everything was Joe Biden’s fault, that over the course of the last year, people have watched him spend more time on vanity projects and enriching himself than actually delivering for the American people,’ said Democratic strategist Mike Nellis. 

While the White House adds a new massive ballroom to host larger parties for its tuxedo-wearing allies, at a cost estimated to be around $300 million, voters remain frustrated with everyday prices.

The White House did not return the Daily Mail’s request for comment.