Donald Trump’s penchant for slapping a coat of gilding on buildings is legendary. But when it comes to the U.S. economy, is he right to portray this as the dawn of a Golden Age? His success in November’s midterm elections may depend on him convincing Americans that it is. 

When President Trump gathered hard-hatted coal industry workers at the White House on Wednesday, he suggested they were about to hit more than sedimentary rock at the end of a long day down the mine shaft. 

America is on the verge of striking gold, he promised. Look no further, he crowed, twice, than the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing above 50,000 for the first time. What better evidence that “we have the hottest country anywhere in the world,” as Trump told the crowd. “Pretty cool, right?” 

But just down Pennsylvania Avenue, on Capitol Hill, there is skepticism that could be the canary in the coal mine . 

The Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan agency, skewered Trump-era economic management in a 164-page report the same day that depicted a country weighed down by the president’s tariffs and a growing debt burden. The White House disputed the report’s methodology and conclusions. 

Meanwhile, lawmakers themselves delivered Trump a rare rebuke. The House of Representatives passed a measure disapproving of the Republican’s tariffs on Canadian exports. Though the measure is unlikely to gain sufficient support to overcome an expected veto, the vote showed significant discomfort mounting over Trump’s signature policies. 

Just how well the economy is doing is one of the great Rorschach tests in U.S. political life, generating intensely polarized responses based on the partisan preferences and financial position of the person being asked. But a growing share of Americans tell pollsters they are unhappy with the cost of living and Trump’s handling of that issue. 

The president is yet to deliver on a pledge by his chief of staff to travel the country weekly to tout his accomplishments ahead of November’s congressional elections. When Trump does talk about the economy, it is usually to declare inflation beaten and not to acknowledge the strain many Americans say they still feel.  

Fewer than nine months remain to put a gloss on things before voters have the final word. 

Follow Reuters/Ipsos polling on the president's approval ratings here.

Perhaps there was never much of a chance that the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics would be free of politics. Sure enough, the games in Italy have provided yet another stage for the U.S. political divisions to play out. Olympian Hunter Hess helped spark a debate when he reflected on his mixed emotions representing the U.S. even as he affirmed his love of country. Trump responded, calling Hess a “real loser.” In the days since, several U.S. athletes have rallied behind the 27-year-old freestyle skier, arguing that he deserved to benefit from the country's stated commitment to free speech.