Playbook: “With the shutdown now firmly in the rear view, President Donald Trump is stuck between a rock and a hard place — battling the surprisingly sticky matter of the files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and a growing concern from voters on cost of living. On both issues, Trump appears to be washing his hands by messaging it as the Democrats’ problem.”

“The push and pull between the discourse that’s taking over the beltway this week with the reemergence of the Epstein controversy, and the cross-country reality for many Americans raising red flags over the economy, hits at both ends of the core MAGA coalition. It’s a unique combination that only risks amplifying concerns over a stray from the populist, pocketbook rhetoric that propelled Trump’s 2024 victory.”

“President Trump has been dining with Wall Street bigwigs. He has embarked on an opulent revamp of the White House at a time when Americans are struggling to pay their bills. He has expressed support for granting visas to skilled foreigners to take jobs in the United States. He approved a $20 billion bailout for Argentina, helping a foreign government and wealthy investors at a moment when the U.S. government was shut down,” the New York Times reports.

“For a president who returned to office promising to avoid foreign entanglements, make life more affordable and ensure that available jobs go to American citizens, it has been a significant departure from the expectations of his loyal base. And it is starting to open a rift with his supporters who were counting on a more aggressively populist agenda.”