Joe Battenfeld: Inflation putting a squeeze on Trump

Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald on Apr 22, 2026

Published in Op Eds

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President Donald Trump is the new Gerald Ford.

Fifty-two years ago, President Gerald Ford came up with “Whip Inflation Now” (WIN) — a gimmick to convince voters to ignore high unemployment and rising gas and food prices during the mid-term election.

There were signs, buttons, and speeches all to promote Ford’s presidency and his WIN economic plan, which consisted of asking people to voluntarily put away more money for savings, carpool, lower their thermostats and eat vegetables from their gardens.

Ford wore a red WIN button and asked people to wear theirs, which soon became symbols of mockery and taunting.

WIN failed – one of the worst political public relations disasters ever.

Democrats swept the mid-terms in November, gaining 43 seats in the House and three in the Senate, solidifying their control.

Now 52 years later comes Trump dubbing the term “fake inflation” – telling voters not to believe their eyes which show energy and food costs soaring and new homes out of reach for most families.

It won’t work.

Trump – who launched the war against Iran which has caused oil prices to surge – in fact has no plan to attack the recent 0.9 hike in inflation, which will be a planet killer in the mid-terms, causing Republicans to lose control of the House and possibly the Senate.

The election will come down to the economy, as it always does, and Trump doesn’t seem to have any strategy except to wish inflation away and pretend it isn’t there.

White House officials are reportedly in a panic for fear that high gas prices – more than $4 per gallon – and the overall surging cost of living will cause voters to reject Republicans on the ballot this November.

“If we don’t see the $3 gallon of gas, we’re gonna get killed,” a person close to the White House told Politico.

Trump’s lack of action has already been costly to his approval ratings, which have plummeted to the 30s.

A new Quinnipiac University poll showed a majority of voters blame the president for inflation and rising gas prices. Among independent voters, 73% blame Trump – a devastating number that portends bad news for the GOP in the midterms.

Just 38% of all voters approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, matching an all-time low.

The clueless Trump administration continues to predict oil costs will decrease this fall without any evidence, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent insisted voters “in their heart of hearts feel good” about the economy.

In other words voters don’t really mean what they’re telling the pollsters.

“To be honest, we are doing quite well,” Trump said, pointing to the stock market. “And you know what? I’m very happy.”

The reality is, Trump should take heed of what happened to Ford and his WIN slogan. It was a massive blunder.

And we all know what happened to Ford in the 1976 election, whipped by Jimmy Carter.

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