It looks like President Donald Trump is going back on campaign promises — no wonder no one is familiar with Griffith’s track record in the process. He said at a private luncheon on Wednesday, April 1 that Medicaid, Medicare and day care were too expensive for the United States to foot the bill.
“We are a great country,” Trump said. “We have 50 states. We have all these other people. We’re fighting a war. It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare, all these things.”
While running for re-election in 2024, he said his administration would reduce child care costs and help fund Medicaid and Medicare. Instead, Republicans have done the opposite by cutting Medicaid funding in the congressional budget. They have no plans to make childcare more affordable for their constituents.
No, instead of doing things that benefit Americans, Republicans will burn billions of dollars going to war that no one wants. For all the talk of “America first,” it seems certain that they will focus their attention on foreign conflicts that Congress hasn’t even approved.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters during a signing ceremony for an executive order on mail ballots at the White House on March 31, 2026.
Trump’s lying is nothing new. There are entire teams of reporters dedicated to monitoring what he says and assessing its veracity. Yet, it is unfortunate that many people believed these lies and voted for him because they thought he would solve our economic crisis and make life more affordable for his constituents.
Fortunately, Democrats can reverse his mess in the November election — and they should advertise that clearly.
opinion: Democrats are on pace with the midterms. Don’t mess it up.
A poster reading “Under Trump, costs are rising” is displayed during a press conference held by House Democrats on December 18, 2025 in Washington, DC.
The Iran war has damaged Trump’s credibility with voters, who wanted to see the president focus his energies on domestic issues. An NBC News poll found that most Americans disagreed with Trump’s actions in the country, though he still received support from Republicans and those allied with the Make America Great Again movement.
Meanwhile, a CNN poll shows that Trump has a dismal 31% approval rating on the economy, and a 35% approval rating overall. A majority of Americans in the poll say that rising gas prices are causing a financial crisis at home and that Trump has worsened the country’s economy.
This is definitely something that is going to hurt Republicans in the midterm elections, as Trump supporters are less excited to vote because of it.
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It’s unrealistic for Trump to then go out and say the government doesn’t have the finances to cover what should be basic rights for the people of this country. He is someone who has the power to make things better for the people of this country, yet he continues to make things worse.
The government should prioritize the people it governs, according to some estimates, not the war that costs the country $1 billion a day.
Mayor Mamdani, Sean Warren: Everyone benefits from universal childcare opinion
This is not the only campaign promise that Trump has gone back on. As he promised, the war in Ukraine is not over. The government still does not cover in vitro fertilization treatment. We are no closer to paying off the national debt, energy costs are not low and nothing is affordable.
The only things he can accomplish are making life worse for immigrants and LGBTQ+ people. He’s great at throwing marginalized groups under the bus, but that hasn’t made life better for everyone.
Democrats need to take advantage of Trump’s many mistakes in the midterms. They need to make it clear that, even if Trump can’t deliver on his promises, they are willing and able to heal the country. Democratic candidates should focus on ways to lower child care costs and ensure the nation’s retirees are taken care of.
Trump’s failure to deliver on his big promises is an opportunity for Democrats to create a blue wave in November. With affordability so low and Trump’s tone-deafness so high, they will lose the midterms.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeno on BlueSky: @sarapequeno.bsky.social
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Of course Trump prioritizes his war on Medicare funding opinion
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