President Donald Trump may have handed Democrats the issue they need to win Congress.

It is a word Trump increasingly seems unwilling to hear. He has called it a Democratic “hoax,” mocked the way his opponents use it and, more recently, suggested the media suddenly discovered the word after he returned to office.

Democrats should do exactly the opposite.

How great does America feel when you can no longer afford to live in it?

They should embrace it.

Not as another slogan to throw at Trump, but as a promise to voters: We see what it costs to live your life. We understand why it matters. And we intend to do something about it.

Because affordability is not a Washington talking point. It is the grocery bill, the electricity bill, the prescription waiting at the pharmacy, the insurance premium, the rent or mortgage payment, and the tank of gas needed to get to work.

And for millions of Americans, the political question behind all of it is brutally simple:

Can I afford my life?

That question could become one of the most powerful Democratic messages of the midterms.

Trump Already Proved It Works

Two years ago, Trump understood its power himself. During the 2024 campaign, he stood beside tables piled with groceries and attacked Democrats over rising prices. He promised Americans he would bring those costs down.

Today, the political landscape looks very different.

Food prices remain high. Gasoline prices are squeezing household budgets. And the cost of living has become the top issue for American voters.

Trump's response has too often been to argue with the premise.

That is an extraordinary political opening.

Democrats should not spend the next few months trying to convince Americans that Trump is dangerous, chaotic, or unfit for office. Those arguments have been made countless times, and most Americans have long since formed an opinion about Donald Trump.

Instead, Democrats should talk about something voters encounter every single day.

The price of living in America.

Make Affordability Personal

If instability surrounding Iran and the Strait of Hormuz pushes energy prices higher, explain what that means when someone fills the tank on the way to work—and how higher fuel and transportation costs eventually find their way into the price of food and other necessities.

If tariffs make imported goods more expensive, do not begin with a lecture on international trade. Show voters where those costs appear in their household budgets.

If........

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