President has shackled Republicans with 'huge challenge': ex-Trump official

President Donald Trump has shackled Republicans with a "huge challenge" heading into the midterm election cycle, according to a former White House official.

The U.S. labor market has experienced no growth or net private-sector job creation over recent months, despite the 79-year-old president's promises during his 2024 re-election campaign, and former Trump official Marc Short told "CNN NewsNight" that one of his signature policies was at least partially to blame for the sluggish economy.

"I think the president was elected on two primary issues, the border and addressing affordability issues," said Short, who was director of legislative affairs in Trump's first term and then served as chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence. "The reality is that action, the labor jobs, they've actually net negative since 'liberation day.'"

The president announced his sweeping tariff regime April 2, 2025 – which he dubbed "liberation day" – that lifted prices for importers and retails consumers and dragged down hiring as they passed through the economy, and Short said those trade wars would be a problem for GOP candidates.

"I think this is a huge challenge for Republicans heading into the midterms," Short said. "The president has a good story about having made America more, a net exporter of energy, but we're not insulated from this, and the reality is that prices are going to continue to go up. This is going to continue to ripple through [the economy]."

"It's to say this is a short-term pain really sets an expectation for a lot of Americans that if it's not, it's going to create a bigger and bigger problem come November," he added, "and so I do think that affordability was one of the primary issues that he was elected on. I think it's becoming a growing and growing challenge for Republicans in the midterms this November."

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