Two hours of Trumpapalooza

Trump headlined night one of the GOP midterm convention in Dallas, working through immigration, crime, transgender athletes, the White House ballroom and taxes.

What he left out

He never said inflation, rent, or housing. Grocery costs came up once, when he falsely claimed prices were going down fast.

Affordability is fake

His whole treatment of affordability ran about 90 seconds and pinned rising prices on green-energy policy and Democrats.

“It's fake. They are so fake.”

The $5,000 promise

He does sense the anxiety. He pledged $5,000 checks for everyone if Republicans hold Congress in November, a promise with no plausible path.

Testing what he can get away with

In May he said he wasn't thinking about Americans' finances while negotiating with Iran. Weeks later, as prices climbed fastest in years, he told reporters he loved it.

“I love the inflation.”

A made-up word

Trump and his allies have called affordability made up and insist prices are falling. Most consumer goods cost more now than when his second term started.

He's playing for the history books

White House officials say the real priority is legacy: denying Iran a nuclear weapon, rehabilitating Venezuela. Not the price of eggs.

“When the president goes down in the history books, it's not going to be for eggs being a dollar a carton.”

The trap he set himself

If the Iran war pushes household costs high enough to cost Republicans Congress, Trump loses the power to finish the rest of his agenda. Gas prices have ended presidencies before.