Pattrick Allocco joins to discuss the left's attacks on President Trump over affordability issues, the latest polls, and more.

Patrick Alocko, founder of the Zeus Political Index, analyzed recent economic data and political messaging, highlighting how both the White House and Republican leaders are focusing on affordability and the economy. The discussion noted the White House's efforts to recapture the economic narrative and connect policy to Americans' everyday financial concerns, while also addressing the recent rise in unemployment to 4.6 percent, attributed in part to government data issues.

Alocko explained that although inflation has decreased to 2.7 percent, Americans are still feeling the effects of a 22 percent increase in the cost of living under President Biden. Recent polling data shows Donald Trump's approval rating reaching a three-month high, with multiple polls indicating a positive trend for the former president as economic issues remain central to the political debate.

Left attacks Trump over affordability

You've been joining us now for more as someone who spent the weekend looking at these numbers, analyzing this issue in incredible detail, the founder of the Zeus Political Index, Patrick Alocko. Patrick, great to have you back. So, in your newsletter, you talked about this issue. What was your biggest takeaway from the last two weeks as the president makes all of these speeches, that primetime address? Is it changing how people view this issue in any real way? PATRICK ALOCKO, FOUNDER, ZEUS POLITICAL INDEX, ZEUS POLITICAL INDEX, ZEUS POLITICAL INDEX, ZEUS POLITICAL INDEX, ZEUS POLITICAL INDEX, ZEUS POLITICAL INDEX, ZEUS POLITICAL INDEX, And as you and I have talked about over the past couple of weeks, the White House has a very strong macro messaging on the economy. And they sought out to go out there on the road, take it on the road, and recapture the narrative on affordability. And they did that with a brilliant line in the president's speech on Wednesday night, which is, good evening, America, I inherited a mess, and I'm fixing it. And take that further. So then they went on, Vice President Vance and the president also set out to redefine and connect the dots as to how that affects the wages and the weekly budget of Americans. And I think they did that very effectively. I think that, going forward, I think it's not just the White House's job to do this. I think it's every member of Congress who's running this year needs to go out to their district and make that connection of affordability with their voters. Yeah, particularly Republican members of Congress who want to try and keep the House. It's uncommon during a first-year midterm, but it's happened before. At the same time Trump and Vance were touting this economic message over the last 10 days, the Labor Department did release numbers showing the unemployment rate ticking up to 4.6 percent. So that's the highest since 2020. Can you explain why that number is so high right now for the month of November? Sure, Rob. That's a great headline for the Democrats to latch onto, but the fact is that we had a government shutdown. And during the month of October, October household data is missing, and the November data that we are currently looking at has a high degree of uncertainty. That's not coming from me. That's coming from BLS, Bureau of Labor Statistics. So that absolutely plays a role in that number. What the number is telling us is really the stall speed of the economy. OK. I'm going to show you a graphic, and I want you to try to explain this, because when we talked about it, it made so much sense. Last month, under Donald Trump, inflation dropped to 2.7 percent. We haven't seen that since the last time Trump was president. But the average American is not really feeling that relief right now, because under Joe Biden, the cost of living went up by 22 percent, which is unbelievable. Can you explain this graphic and why it's so important right now? Sure. Well, if you look at it, when the president handed off the economy to Biden, it was at 1.4 percent year-over-year inflation rate, and it, as you said, went up 22 percent. And even though we're at 2.7 percent now, consumers are still feeling that price-level hike that was experienced during the Biden presidency. And you look at the top of that graphic, that little red marker is slowly starting to tick down. Let me show it again. There it is. Slowly coming down. That is a very good sign. The latest Insider Advantage poll just came out this morning. Donald Trump's approval rating, essentially, 50 percent. It was 49.5 percent, which is a three-month high. Do you trust that number and this poll? Yes, and because of things we have talked about many times. This is a likely, this is 800 voters, 800 likely voters that they surveyed. And likely voters always tend to do better with the president, and they're not an outlier. You've got Rasmussen at 46 percent, and you've got McLaughlin over 50 percent as well. So that is a very solid number for the president. Especially if those numbers continue to go up. They are trending in the right direction at the right time. Patrick Alaco, have a wonderful holiday. Great to have you back. Appreciate all the work you do, especially over the weekend, to make our Mondays that much more clear. Thank you. Merry Christmas, Rob.

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