MAGA Either Hates Trump’s Signature Bill—or Has Never Heard of It

President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” has barely made a dent with American voters, which doesn’t bode well for Republicans in the midterms. 

Almost half of all Americans either can’t explain what it is or have not heard of it, according to a new Politico poll. Those who have heard about it don’t like it, saying that it benefited other people, like wealthy Americans.

With affordability a major political issue, Republicans have tried to rebrand the bill, which doled out tax cuts for rich Americans at the expense of programs like health care, as “Working Families Tax Cuts,” without much success.

“Putting more money in Americans’ pockets. Helping them seize opportunities to get ahead, and creating new pathways to success,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Wednesday on the Senate floor. “That is the Working Families Tax Cuts at work.”

Only about 25 percent of people who voted for Trump in 2024 believe that the bill gave the working class big tax breaks. The fact that the bill included tax deductions for tipped wages and overtime pay, as well as Trump Accounts for children, hasn’t swayed opinions. 

Meanwhile, more than half of Americans—57 percent—believe the Iran war has made things more expensive, according to the poll. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has had ripple effects affecting everything from gas prices to fertilizer shortages, hurting farmers along with average Americans. Trump hasn’t done much to defend or even mention the bill in his regular speeches, either. 

This has opened the bill up to attacks from Democrats, who merely have to point to bad economic news to discredit any potential gains. Democratic candidates have also rightfully connected the tax cuts to cuts to food stamps, Medicare, and Medicaid. Politico’s poll found that many Americans say they prefer funding health care and nutrition assistance over some tax breaks. Trump is not doing much to address that sentiment, dismissing affordability as a made-up word and opposing a bipartisan affordable housing bill last week.  

“Trump cuts food assistance and health care. Billionaires get another tax break,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor last week. That seems to be a winning message for November’s midterms for Democrats. ...