What just happened? It was the economy, stupid

Donald Trump’s decisive election victory was about many things: a global rejection of incumbents, a rise in the Republican electorate and a battle for the future of America’s democracy. But voters consistently and repeatedly said issue No. 1 this election was the economy.

That explains a lot about why Trump was reelected.

By several major metrics, the US economy is on fire, the envy of the rest of the world. But Americans still viewed it unfavorably, and a significant number of voters blame President Joe Biden and Trump’s opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, for failing to make enough improvements to Americans’ financial situations over the past four years. Poll after poll suggested that Americans hold largely negative views about the US economy.

That’s because economic sentiment doesn’t always match up nicely with data that shows the economy is adding jobs, consumer spending is growing and gross domestic product — the broadest measure of the economy — continues to boom. When you pay through the nose for a cup of coffee or when you can’t afford to buy a home, those data are meaningless: You feel shut out of the American Dream.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/06/economy/economy-trump-reelection/index.html