'Lying checkbooks': Kennedy warns GOP against ignoring Americans' cost-of-living pain
Sen. John Kennedy: "Telling them not to believe their own lying checkbooks is not going to work. This inflation did not originate in a bat. It started under President Biden. It's reared its ugly head under President Trump because of the war in Iran." https://t.co/tVnv3AxjLa
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) October 4, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC: Senator John Kennedy, in a television interview on Sunday, October 4, warned his party that the rising cost of living for ordinary Americans might backfire in the upcoming midterm election. He also advised his party to stop lying about the real situation on the ground.
In a survey of more than 30,000 adults from across the country, a majority of Americans agree there’s a significant barrier to achieving a better life: the rising cost of living.
Sixty percent of Americans said they wanted greater financial security, according to a survey that was conducted by the McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility and the WK Kellogg Foundation in mid-April.
John Kennedy says cost of living is top issue
Sen John Kennedy said Republicans “have to tell the American people the truth” about the cost of living as his party heads into the midterms.
“As I’ve said before, Kristen, here’s my prediction about the elections. I will bet you a soda and a nice hat that the experts are wrong. I will think — I do think it will be close,” Kennedy told NBC News’s Kristen Welker on 'Meet the Press' while discussing the upcoming midterms.
“I think the biggest issue is cost of living. I think we have to tell the American people the truth,” he added.
“Telling them not to believe their own lying checkbooks is not going to work. This inflation did not originate in a vat. It started under President Biden. It’s reared its ugly head under President Trump because of the war in Iran,” he said.
GOP is facing tough fight to save paper-thin congressional majority
The GOP is facing several political challenges as the midterm elections approach, including the Iran war and tariffs. The Iran war has also pushed up gas prices.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas was about $4.37 on Sunday afternoon. At the same time last year, it was about $3.14.
“Today 6 in 10 Americans oppose the Iran war. Gas prices — enough said on gas prices. There’s an argument, if you look at history, that 2026 feels a lot like 2006,” GOP Senator Steve Daines said at the Grand Strategy Summit in Washington, earlier this week.
Multiple metrics, including historical trends, low presidential approval ratings, and recent polling numbers, indicate that Republicans are facing an uphill battle to protect their narrow majority in both chambers of Congress.
Trump registered only a 26% job approval rating in an Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs poll of 2,140 US adults conducted from September 24 to 28.
Voters will deliver their verdict on November 3, when all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are on the ballot.
