This is the August 10, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter.  Subscribe here to get it delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday.

Kevin Hassett said on CNN yesterday that the economy is “really, really booming.” 

That may be true if you’re sitting on a stock portfolio and already own a home. 

But for working middle-class Americans trying to afford groceries, gas, and rent? They’re falling farther and farther behind.

The Wall Street Journal has a new piece on how the Republican Party is losing its edge with voters on the economy.

Republican pollster Mitchell Brown runs focus groups in battleground states. He told the Journal that voters now know their power bill to the dollar.

The same is true for healthcare costs. 

And the price of beef — up 100% since 2019. 

Inflation hit 3.5% last month. It was 3% for Joe Biden’s last month in office.

For the first time since 2010, Fox News polls show voters trust Democrats more than Republicans on the economy. The GOP held a 15-point advantage on that question in 2022. Now they trail by 9. 

You can try to tell the American people to reject the evidence of their eyes and ears on this “booming” economy. But they’ve seen the receipts. 

CHART OF THE DAY

WHAT THEY SAID

Katty Kay on Iran 

“A lot of people are heaving a sigh of relief that we’re not on the brink of a massive military campaign against Iran. But we are back to the status quo, where President Trump is saying, ‘I’m not really that worried about the nuclear program. We can wait that out.’ This sounds an awful lot like where we were last winter.”

David Rohde on Israel rejecting Donald Trump’s Gaza plan

“The problem for President Trump is that he looks so weak on the world stage. Israel doesn’t trust him to actually deliver on the disarming of Hamas.”

Symone Sanders Townsend on the economy 

“People are paying attention. It is very expensive out there right now — at the grocery store, the gas station, or your kitchen table trying to figure out how to make it work. Voters might not be up on the latest of the nitty-gritty in politics, but they are very well aware of what decisions elected officials have made and how those decisions are affecting them right now.”

Jonathan Lemire on Democrats’ midterm opportunity 

“The Democrats have the ball at the 2-yard line. Now they have to call the right play.” 

The post Voters have seen the receipts on Trump’s “booming” economy appeared first on MS NOW.