Stephen Moore: It’d be appropriate for Republicans to say ‘I feel your pain’ on economy

Steve Moore, a former senior economic adviser to President Trump, said Thursday that while the U.S. economy is “the strongest in the world,” it would be appropriate for Republicans to acknowledge the grievances of the people.

“I think maybe to borrow a line from Bill Clinton, I feel your pain would be an appropriate thing to say,” Moore said during an appearance on NewsNation’s On Balance with Leland Vittert.

“But I do think that they should be talking about the positive things in the economy. This is not an A plus plus economy like Trump says, but it’s a B plus economy,” Moore continued. “It’s a strong economy, the strongest in the world.”

Economic concerns have beenn a major factor in the midterm elections, which will be settled in less than two weeks. Republicans are in significant danger of losing both the House and Senate majorities, largely because of unrest over the economy.

Inflation rose last month, and upward pressure on prices has come from both Trump’s trade wars and the actual war with Iran, which led to significantly higher gas prices.

Inflation rose last month to 3.7 percent on an annual basis, according to the consumer price index (CPI). In August, the number stood at 3.4. The hike was largely attributed to energy prices; food prices held steady in September but rose 2.5 percent from 12 months prior.

Last month, in a poll by NBC news , 55 percent respondents said that economic conditions have been worsened by Trump’s policies. About 26 percent said the opposite and 18 percent said the conditions have not really been affected by the policies.

During his Thursday interview, Moore emphasized, “the economy really is pretty strong,” adding that the poverty rates are lowest in the history of the U.S., crime rate has declined and median incomes are rising.

“Clearly we have the best economy in the world. Every other country is envious of our economy,” he said.