Jasmine Crockett says voters now see why Trump ‘can’t be commander-in-chief’

WASHINGTON, DC: Rep Jasmine Crockett did not hold back as she weighed in on President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and leadership style, arguing that voters are increasingly waking up to the consequences of his economic decisions and unfulfilled promises.

Speaking on CNN’s 'All In on Friday', Crockett, a Texas Democrat, said public frustration over rising costs and misleading rhetoric is pushing Americans including Republicans to reconsider Trump’s fitness for office. During the interview, she suggested the political tide is shifting as voters connect tariffs directly to higher prices at home.

Jasmine Crockett links Trump tariffs to rising costs

Crockett argued that many Americans now understand that tariffs are effectively taxes shouldered by consumers, not foreign governments, a realization she believes is cutting across party lines.

“I think it’s because people finally understand that these are taxes that we’re paying for, right,” Crockett said. “And I don’t think, especially if you’re a traditional Republican, you usually are anti-tax. So the idea that, you know, you’ve got this Republican president and all he’s doing is adding taxes for people at a time when they’re struggling.”

She added that Trump’s economic messaging clashes sharply with traditional Republican values, especially as households grapple with higher prices on everyday goods.

Empty check promises fuel voter skepticism

Crockett also criticized Trump’s repeated claims that Americans would receive direct financial relief tied to his policy initiatives - promises she said never materialized.

“Then he continues to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to give you a refund check for the tariffs,’” she said, before pointing to earlier pledges. “I just want to remind people that he had promised people that they were going to get a $5,000 check when it came to DOGE. And, well, those checks never arrived.”

She continued by listing other financial assurances that failed to come through. “And then he announced that there would be tariff checks. And well, those checks too haven’t arrived,” Crockett said, underscoring what she described as a pattern of misleading claims.

Service member funding claims draw criticism

The congresswoman further took aim at Trump’s statements about supporting US service members, saying those claims were also misleading.

“And then he announced that he was going to do something for our service members,” Crockett said. “I don’t know if those checks are arriving or not, but he claimed that it was out of the tariffs, and yet again, it was not going to be out of the tariffs.”

Instead, Crockett alleged Trump simply reshuffled existing funds. “He was going to take more money that had already been designated and appropriated specifically for our service members, and just readjust the pocket of money that it was coming from,” she said.

Public frustration mounts over Trump’s credibility and leadership

Crockett concluded that voter frustration is now being driven by lived experience, not partisan messaging. As prices continue to rise, she said Americans are reassessing Trump’s credibility and leadership.

“So, I mean, I think that people are understanding that it’s not good to have a con man as the commander-in-chief,” Crockett said. “And people are frustrated because they know that the cost of everything is going up.”