Magazine executive editor Jim Antle brings to life the pages of the Washington Examiner magazine in the show Inside Scoop. Each episode features exclusive insight from the article authors and expert analysis.
On this New Year’s Eve special episode of Inside Scoop, Antle covers Jay Caruso’s article on how inflation and the economy will be the central issues in the 2026 midterm elections.
President Donald Trump “has gone on an affordability tour to sort of make his argument about who is to blame for the inflation and what he’s doing to fix it,” Antle said.
Antle said despite gas prices falling below $2 a gallon, inflation remains high and past price increases are locked in, making it difficult for politicians to claim progress.
“A problem with inflation is inflation falling simply means that prices are going to rise more slowly,” Antle said. “But it doesn’t necessarily mean prices will fall. Many people voted for Donald Trump because they hoped he could restore the lower prices of 2019, before the pandemic. That is unlikely. In fact, deflation, where prices go down, would most likely be the result of an economic collapse, which no one really wants.”
Our in-depth report touches on David Mark’s article on the upcoming turnover in Congress. Probably the biggest retirement news came from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who is wrapping up nearly 40 years in Congress. Pelosi is among the 15 House members who have announced their retirements so far, while 27 representatives are running for statewide office, a mix of bids for Senate and governor, with one added state attorney general candidacy.
“Congress has been relatively ineffective for many years, under both Democratic and Republican Presidents,” said Patricia Crouse, a practitioner in residence of public administration and political science at the University of New Haven. “I think for some it just has to do with thinking they can accomplish more as a governor, which they probably can, than being in the Senate or the House.”
There are more members of Congress trading the Capitol for a chance to run for governor during this record-setting cycle.
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“For some of these people, they run for governor, they lose, they go back to Congress,” Crouse said. “It’s a win-win situation.”
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