Axelrod: Trump’s ‘I don’t give a damn’ remark on gas prices is no winning message
Telling a rally crowd he doesn't give a damn about high gas prices because the country is making a fortune on oil is the kind of quote that lands badly with a commuter watching the numbers climb. Axelrod, never shy about seizing on such moments, called it a losing message, and he has a point. Voters judge presidents by what they feel in their wallets, and fuel prices are one of the most visible economic measures there is.
I'd want the full context of the remark before writing it off entirely. Trump was speaking to a friendly crowd, and his point about oil profits was aimed at casting the energy sector as thriving. Record production and exports are real achievements, but those numbers don't mean much to someone deciding between groceries and a full tank.
The remark was politically tone-deaf, but it also reflects a genuine tension every administration faces: energy abundance and affordable prices don't always move together. Axelrod is betting voters will remember the quote, not the context. He might be right.