Democrats are missing an opportunity to take advantage of President Donald Trump’s weaknesses on the economy, according to the center-left think tank Third Way.
A new memo from the group argues that Democrats need to lean into the fight over fiscal responsibility by painting Republicans as irresponsible on the economy and the national debt.
Third Way commissioned a poll across five 2026 Senate battlegrounds, finding that only 39% of voters there rate Trump’s job on the economy as excellent or good; majorities don’t view maintaining tariffs as fiscally responsible; and many are broadly concerned about possible recession. Even so, it showed that voters trust Republicans more to handle tax and fiscal policy.
“Democrats can drive public sentiment with a simple message: The Trump plan will bankrupt us,” the memo advises, noting that Democrats have a “serious brand problem on spending.”