Leaked Audio Features MI GOP Candidate Rogers Mocking Affordability Concerns

Por Chris Walker — Truthout

Rogers minimized worries about rising costs due to Trump administration policies as “derangement.”

Support justice-driven, accurate and transparent news — make a quick donation to Truthout today! 

In newly unearthed audio, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Mike Rogers (Michigan) appears to dismiss one of the top issues motivating voters in this year’s midterm races: affordability.

In a radio interview from January, Rogers blasted Democrats for highlighting the fact that Americans are facing higher consumer prices on myriad goods and services.

“They [Democrats] say, ‘Trump caused high prices’ — people go nuts, they lose their mind. I do believe there is this Trump derangement,” Rogers, a millionaire, said in the interview, minimizing legitimate concerns about rising costs.

Michigan GOP Senate Candidate Mike Rogers argues that concern over affordability is just 'Trump derangement':

Rogers: They say, ‘Trump caused high prices’—people go nuts, they lose their mind. I do believe there is this Trump derangement. pic.twitter.com/VOfDhDYa3b

“[Democrats] have the gall to come out and say, ‘Guess what? We are the only ones that care about how expensive your life is,’” Rogers added.

In separate leaked audio featuring Rogers, the GOP candidate derides worries over higher costs for specific grocery items.

“Oh my gosh, coffee went up,” Rogers says on tape, mocking those concerns. “You know, horror!”

Rogers recently dismissed reporters who asked whether he should “provide an explanation” for those comments, belittling the query as “a couple of DNC talking points.”

Voters across the U.S. are, in fact, concerned about inflation, as prices are significantly higher on many staple items due in large part to President Donald Trump’s tariffs against other countries. Trump’s decision to launch a war on Iran has also resulted in rising fuel costs, which have increased costs of other goods, as diesel is needed to transport items for shipment across the U.S.

The Trump administration likely bears all of the responsibility for rising prices. According to a report from the New York Federal Reserve that was published last week, costs for many goods were actually decreasing before the president implemented an array of tariffs in his first year back in the White House. Because of that policy decision, prices are now increasing.

On a per capita basis, Michigan has been hit the hardest by price increases, with one estimate showing the total per-person household increase in costs being around $5,600 in the state.

Meanwhile, the latest polls show that Michigan voters are more supportive of the state’s Democratic Senate candidate, Abdul El-Sayed. In an aggregate of polling data from FiftyPlusOne, El-Sayed garners 48.2 percent of the vote while Rogers receives only 44.8 percent.

Truthout is one of only a few platforms for justice-oriented, grassroots journalism. Today, we face an existential threat.

Due to Google’s launch of AI search, we’ve seen a drastic plunge in our site traffic and, as a result, our revenue. We lost 15 percent of our readership overnight. This was a readership we painstakingly built over decades, and it vanished because Google chose corporate greed over a healthy democracy.

We are fundraising right now to meet our basic operating expenses. If you can support Truthout with a one-time or monthly donation, you will make a significant impact on our work. Anything you can do makes a difference — we appreciate your support.

This article is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), and you are free to share and republish under the following terms:

Chris Walker is a news writer at Truthout, based in Madison, Wisconsin. Focusing on both national and local topics since the early 2000s, he has produced thousands of articles analyzing the issues of the day and their impact on people. He can be found on most social media platforms under the handle @thatchriswalker.

Get the news you want, delivered to your inbox every day.

Truthout must raise $50,000 for our basic publishing costs this month. We are appealing to our readers to make a one-time or monthly donation. Donate now if you can!

Fonte: Truthout