Trump says he’s fixing the economy. Voters are still unhappy.

Summary

Apple News Today – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Trump says he’s fixing the economy. Voters are still unhappy.
Date: December 18, 2025
Host: Gideon Reznick (in for Shumita Basu)

Overview of Main Theme

This episode covers President Trump’s primetime address on the economy, his administration’s attempts to handle public dissatisfaction with high living costs, and the political challenges arising from economic realities. The episode also explores efforts to free a convicted MAGA loyalist, the unveiling of a new Capitol statue honoring civil rights trailblazer Barbara Rose Johns, significant developments in healthcare and NASA leadership, and the Oscars’ move to YouTube.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump's Economic Address: Voters Unconvinced

• [00:30] President Trump delivered a primetime address focused on the U.S. economy.
• He blamed Democrats for prior economic woes and credited his administration for rapidly lowering prices.
  • Quote: “We’re bringing our economy back from the brink of ruin… I am bringing those high prices down and bringing them down very fast.” – President Trump [00:42]
• Trump asserted he revitalized the country within a year:
  • Quote: “One year ago, our country was dead. …Now we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world.” – President Trump [01:06]
• Despite these claims, widespread voter dissatisfaction over cost of living persists.
• Trump’s prior strength on the economy has become a political liability amidst persistent inflation.
• Guest Analysis:
  • Jacob Bogage (Washington Post): Explained that presidents have limited tools to lower consumer costs, and Trump may have overpromised on economic results.
    • Quote: “There actually isn’t very much the president can do to lower consumer costs by himself.” – Jacob Bogage [01:43]

2. Economic Data & Political Challenges

• [02:03] Latest polls: Only 36% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy (lowest mark during his two terms).
• Economic indicators show rising prices during Trump’s first year back in office.
• Recent White House measures include:
  • Rolling back tariffs on groceries (Brazilian coffee & beef) [02:26]
  • Plans to lower weight-loss drug prices
  • Relaxing fuel efficiency rules for cheaper cars [02:32]
  • Announcing checks for US military members [02:38]
• Ongoing messaging from Trump, VP J.D. Vance, and Republicans to project action on affordability [02:44–02:49]
• Persistent Voter Gloom:
  • Quote: “They feel the economy legitimately is on pretty steady footing… yet they’re not getting credit for it.” – Jacob Bogage [03:04]
• Recent jobs numbers: 64,000 jobs added in November, but 105,000 lost in October. Unemployment rose to 4.6%. [03:23–03:31]
  • Bogage: “They ran for office by promising these instant economic results… now that they can’t achieve them because they promised some impossible results. How do you put the genie back in the bottle?” [03:39]

3. The Tina Peters Case: Pardons and Politics

• [04:17] Trump has granted over 1,700 pardons but is unable to free Tina Peters, a Colorado official convicted of tampering with voting equipment post-2020 election (state, not federal, charges).
• Judge’s memorable quote:
  • “You are no hero. You abused your position and you’re a charlatan… peddle a snake oil that’s been proven to be junk time and time again.” [04:40]
• Yvonne Wingett Sanchez (The Atlantic): Details Peters’ downfall and her subsequent prison sentence.
• Peters insists on her innocence and compares her plight to a calling:
  • Quote: “I believe I’m a child of God and I believe that it was important for someone to stand up, and I chose to do that.” – Tina Peters [05:42]
• Trump has pressured Colorado’s Democratic governor Jared Polis for a pardon, and instructed federal agencies to intercede; all efforts have failed.
  • Trump: “The poorly run state of Colorado with a governor who’s incompetent… won’t allow our wonderful Tina to come out of jail.” [06:15]
• Local Republicans mixed on support:
  • Quote: “…you do the crime, you do the time, and she did the crime.” – Republican source via Yvonne Wingett Sanchez [07:14]
• Peters is appealing her conviction, referencing Trump’s (symbolic) “pardon” in court.

4. Barbara Rose Johns: A New Statue at the Capitol

• [08:04] Barbara Rose Johns (16-year-old civil rights activist) honored with a new statue in Emancipation Hall.
• Led a pivotal student walkout in 1951 for equal schooling in Farmville, Virginia; her case helped end school segregation (Brown v. Board of Education).
  • Mike Johnson (House Speaker): “Today we are here to honor one of America’s true trailblazers… Barbara Rose Johns.” [08:26]
  • Rachel Treisman (NPR): Details Johns’ life and activism in context of shifting which historical figures are honored in the Capitol:
    • Virginia removed Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s statue to install Johns’ [09:31–09:39]
    • Quote: “Classrooms were in these freestanding tar paper shacks… no plumbing or heat…” [09:50, Treisman]
    • Joan Johns Cobbs (Barbara’s sister): Recalls the shock and resolve behind the walkout:
      • Quote: “I remember her saying that our parents had tried to get a new school and… the only way… was for us to walk out.” [10:27]
  • The strike drew NAACP support and fed into the landmark Supreme Court case.
• Timing of the statue’s unveiling is notable amid a White House push to reinstate Confederate monuments.
  • Quote: “We don’t see a lot of Confederate statues being replaced in 2025… because now under the second Trump administration, there is sort of this push from the White House to reinstall some of those Confederate statues…” – Rachel Treisman [11:33]

5. Other Notable Stories

Health Care Showdown in Congress

• [12:29] Four Republicans defected, joining Democrats in a petition to force a floor vote restoring ACA subsidies—prime example of House GOP fissures.
  • Bill passed the House but faces Senate opposition.
  • Johnson: “I have not lost control of the House.” [13:06]

NASA’s New Administrator

• [13:24] Jared Isaacman, billionaire astronaut with SpaceX ties, finally confirmed as NASA chief after Trump initially rescinded support over his donations and connections to Musk.
  • Observers concerned about potential conflicts of interest.
  • Isaacman pledged to resign private sector posts if confirmed. [14:05–14:18]

Oscars Move to YouTube

• [14:18] Oscars to stream exclusively on YouTube from 2029, ending its long ABC run.
  • Industry commentary:
    • “YouTube, broadcasting the Oscars is like shaking hands with the guy who’s trying to kill you.” – unnamed screenwriter [14:45]
  • Potential benefits: More time, less censorship, fewer orchestra cut-offs for speeches.

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Noteworthy Quotes

• President Trump:
  • “We’re bringing our economy back from the brink of ruin.” [00:42]
  • “One year ago, our country was dead… now we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world.” [01:06]
• Jacob Bogage (WaPo):
  • “There actually isn’t very much the president can do to lower consumer costs by himself.” [01:43]
  • “How do you put the genie back in the bottle there? You can’t do it.” [03:39]
• Judge (Tina Peters trial):
  • “You are no hero… you abused your position…” [04:40]
• Tina Peters:
  • “I believe I’m a child of God and… it was important for someone to stand up…” [05:42]
• Joan Johns Cobbs:
  • “We all followed her out that day, even though… all of us were shocked.” [10:27]
• Screenwriter (Oscars/YouTube):
  • “YouTube, broadcasting the Oscars is like shaking hands with the guy who’s trying to kill you.” [14:45]

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• [00:30] Trump’s Economic Address
• [01:43] Political/Polling Analysis (Jacob Bogage)
• [02:24] White House Cost-of-Living Actions
• [03:23] Job Numbers & Unemployment
• [04:17] Trump’s Pardon Push for Tina Peters
• [08:04] Barbara Rose Johns Statue Unveiling
• [12:29] House Revolt on ACA Subsidies
• [13:24] NASA Administrator Confirmation
• [14:18] Oscars Move to YouTube

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Tone & Language:
The episode maintains an analytical, fact-based tone with frequent use of direct quotes to both inform and illustrate the emotional climate surrounding the topics. There are notable moments of candor, especially regarding the futility of some political efforts and the symbolic significance of historical change.

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For More Information:
Listeners can access all stories via the Apple News app. Narrated articles and further news updates are available through the service.

Transcript

[Host]

Good morning. It's Thursday, December 18th.

[Gideon Reznick]

I'm Gideon Reznick, in for Shamita Basu.

[Host]

This is Apple News today.

[Gideon Reznick]

On today's show, the story behind a.

[Host]

Unique new statue in the Capitol.

[Gideon Reznick]

How the president is trying to free a MAGA loyalist and the next person in charge of our missions to space is confirmed. But first, last night, President Trump gave.

[Host]

A primetime address to the nation focused mostly on the state of the economy.

[Gideon Reznick]

During the speech, he attacked Democrats, blaming.

[Host]

Them for increased prices across the board and other issues, while giving himself credit for solving those problems here at home.

[President Trump]

We're bringing our economy back from the brink of ruin. The last administration and their allies in Congress looted our treasury for trillions of dollars, driving up prices and everything at levels never seen before. I am bringing those high prices down and bringing them down very fast.

[Gideon Reznick]

The president also said that in just.

[Host]

Under a year, he brought the country back from the brink.

[President Trump]

One year ago, our country was dead. We were absolutely dead. Our country was ready to fail, totally failed. Now we're the hottest country anywhere in the world.

[Gideon Reznick]

The combative speech comes at a moment.

[Host]

When Trump has struggled to assuage concerns among voters that the general cost of living in the United States is still stubbornly high.

[Gideon Reznick]

What has been a political strength of.

[Host]

Trump's, one that he used to help win his second term in the White.

[Gideon Reznick]

House, is now his own cross to bear. In a sense, despite the president's claims during his address that prices for things.

[Host]

Like plane tickets, gas, and groceries are all falling on his watch, the public at large hasn't really agreed with that.

[Jacob Bogage]

The main promise he made was to lower consumer costs on day one. And now he's really painted himself into a corner because there actually isn't very much the president can do to lower consumer costs by himself.

[Gideon Reznick]

Jacob Bogage is the White House economic.

[Host]

Correspondent for the Washington Post.

[Gideon Reznick]

A new poll from PBS News, NPR.

[Host]

And Marist found that 36% of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the economy. That marks the lowest in their polling on the issue across his two terms in office. A recent AP poll found similar levels of dissatisfaction.

[Gideon Reznick]

And economic data does show that prices.

[Host]

Have edged up for much of Trump's first year back at the White House.

[Gideon Reznick]

Recently, the administration has taken some actions.

[Host]

To ease cost of living concerns, including.

[Gideon Reznick]

Including rolling back some tariffs on grocery.

[Host]

Goods like Brazilian coffee and beef, a.

[Gideon Reznick]

Plan to cut the price of weight.

[Host]

Loss drugs, and rolling back fuel efficiency rules to make cars more affordable.

[Gideon Reznick]

And just last night, Trump announced a.

[Host]

Plan to send checks to members of the US military.

[Gideon Reznick]

Meanwhile, the White House is also actively.

[Host]

Trying to message to voters that they're working on the affordability crisis.

[Gideon Reznick]

Just this week, Vice President J.D.

[Host]

Vance made a stop in Pennsylvania, the key battleground state bearing that message.

[Gideon Reznick]

Bogage told us that while Republicans close.

[Host]

To Trump believe he has delivered on eliminating regulatory red tape in addition to.

[Gideon Reznick]

Tax hikes and cuts, Americans are just.

[Host]

Still unhappy with how things are going.

[Jacob Bogage]

They feel the economy legitimately is on pretty steady footing, that consumers have the resources to keep up with prices, that their wages are rising to keep up with prices, and that they are all in all on pretty good footing, and yet they're not getting credit for it.

[Gideon Reznick]

On the employment front, figures released this.

[Host]

Week showed the US added 64,000 jobs in November, but lost 105,000 in October.

[Gideon Reznick]

Those job losses include thousands of federal.

[Host]

Workers who accepted delayed resignations. The unemployment rate also ticked up to 4.6%, the highest since 2021.

[Jacob Bogage]

The frustrating thing for the president and for the Republican Party, and I don't know how they wiggle their way out of this, is they ran for office by promising these instant economic results and conditioning voters to believe that they were achievable now that they can't achieve them because they promised some impossible results. How do you put the genie back in the bottle there? You can't do it.

[Gideon Reznick]

President Trump has embraced the of pardons in his second term, granting clemency to.

[Host]

More than 1700 people.

[Gideon Reznick]

But there's one MAGA loyalist that Trump.

[Host]

Wants to free but can't. Tina Peters was a Colorado county clerk convicted last year for tampering with voting equipment under her control after the 2020 election.

[Gideon Reznick]

Handing down the sentence, the judge didn't.

[Host]

Hold back in his assessment of Peters character.

[Judge]

You are no hero. You abused your position and you're a charlatan who used and is still using your prior position in office to peddle a snake oil that's been proven to be junk time and time again.

[Gideon Reznick]

Prosecutors said that she had become fixated.

[Host]

On false claims of voter fraud spread by Trump after his defeat.

[Yvonne Wingett Sanchez]

And that sort of set her off on this odyssey to try to prove that the machines, the voting equipment that were under her control in the 2020 election were somehow rigged and that votes could be changed.

[Gideon Reznick]

Yvonne Wingett Sanchez is a reporter with.

[Host]

The Atlantic and profiled her case.

[Yvonne Wingett Sanchez]

In doing so, she ended up in quite a bit of hot water. Local authorities said that she deceived her own colleagues and allowed a person to gain unauthorized access to the machines. And in the end, she was convicted of breaking the law, and she was sent to prison.

[Gideon Reznick]

She was sentenced to nine years, but.

[Host]

Peters maintained her innocence throughout and in court showed no remorse.

[Tina Peters]

The people that have spoken here today, asking for harsh sentences, I'm just appalled. I feel bad for them because I know I've often said God doesn't like people messing with his kids. I believe I'm a child of God and I believe that it was important for someone to stand up, and I chose to do that.

[Gideon Reznick]

Trump characterizes Peters as a political prisoner.

[Host]

But these are state charges, not federal.

[Gideon Reznick]

So he lacks the power to release her. Instead, Trump has been pushing for the Democratic Governor, Jared Polis, to enact the.

[Host]

Pardon, saying this on Monday, the poorly.

[President Trump]

Run state of Colorado with a governor who's incompetent and frankly with a governor that won't allow our wonderful Tina to.

[Gideon Reznick]

Come out of a jail, sanchez said.

[Host]

It's going beyond just criticizing Governor Polis.

[Yvonne Wingett Sanchez]

And so in the absence of any action to get her out, to break her out of state prison, the president has directed the Department of Justice to do anything that they can do to try to get her out. And that has happened. It's all been unsuccessful.

[Gideon Reznick]

Polis posted on social media that Peters.

[Host]

Was convicted by a jury of her peers and that the president doesn't have jurisdiction in the matter.

[Gideon Reznick]

Sanchez reports that the White House's top.

[Host]

Lawyer spoke to the county's Republican district attorney about the case, and he denied a Federal Bureau of Prisons request to hand Peters over to their custody.

[Gideon Reznick]

This week, Trump posted on social media.

[Host]

That he had granted a full pardon to Peters despite lacking the authority to do so. She remains in prison, and Sanchez says that Trump's position is far from universal.

[Yvonne Wingett Sanchez]

I talked to a lot of Republicans, even, who feel like, you know, as one person told me, you do the crime, you do the time, and she did the crime. And she's not just undermining elections here in our county, but she's really testing the state and county's legal authority to enforce our own laws. A jury of our peers in a heavily Republican area decided that she was guilty of seven counts and that she should go to prison.

[Host]

Peters is appealing the sentence and her lawyers have cited Trump's pardon push in their efforts to free her.

[Gideon Reznick]

Let's talk about a story now out.

[Host]

Of Washington that flew under the radar.

[Gideon Reznick]

This week about a historic figure you.

[Host]

Might not be very familiar with. In a statue that honors her story, Barbara Rose Johns, then a 16 year old black teenager, led a protest in the early 1950s that contributed to profound changes in the country.

[Gideon Reznick]

On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson and.

[Host]

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries gathered in Emancipation hall in the Capitol to unveil her new statue.

[Mike Johnson]

Today we are here to honor one of America's true trailblazers, a woman who embodied the essence of the American spirit in her fight for liberty and justice and equal treatment under the law, the indomitable Barbara Rose Johns. Thank you all for being part of this. The Commonwealth of Virginia will now be properly represented by an actual patriot who embodied the principle of liberty and justice for all.

[Rachel Treisman]

And what she's best known for is leading a walkout at her Virginia high school to protest that conditions there and advocate for more equal facilities compared to the white high school. And that case pretty directly led to Brown v. Board of Ed, which ended school segregation in the U.S. that's Rachel.

[Host]

Treisman, a reporter who covered the unveiling for npr.

[Gideon Reznick]

Now, the hall is unique because every.

[Host]

State legislature gets to select two notable people from its history to be represented there.

[Gideon Reznick]

Virginia has George Washington, and for more.

[Host]

Than a century, it had Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

[Gideon Reznick]

But back in 2020, Ralph Northam, the.

[Host]

Former Democratic governor of Virginia, requested that Lee's statue be removed, and a state commission selected Barbara Rose Johns in his place.

[Gideon Reznick]

Treisman told us a bit about Barbara's life story.

[Host]

She was born in New York but went to school in Farmville, Virginia, where.

[Gideon Reznick]

She started to notice how inferior her.

[Host]

School was compared to the one for white kids.

[Rachel Treisman]

Classrooms were in these freestanding tar paper shacks. They didn't have plumbing or heat, and of course, they didn't have facilities like science labs or a gym or an athletic field. And over the years, it seems like she grew increasingly frustrated. We know from some of her writings that she took her concerns to a teacher and the teacher basically said, why don't you do something about it? And she got to thinking about it and decided to take it upon herself to try to change that.

[Gideon Reznick]

And in 1951, she gathered all 450.

[Host]

Students and organized a mass walkout.

[Gideon Reznick]

Her sister, Joan Johns Cobbs, was by.

[Host]

Her side that day. And in 2019, she spoke to the 74, an education news site.

[Joan Johns Cobbs]

We all followed her out that day, even though most of us were shocked. In fact, I think all of us were shocked. I remember her saying that our parents had tried to get a new school and they had failed and that the only way that we were going to get a new school was for us to walk out of the school.

[Host]

Their strike lasted two weeks and it caught the attention of the naacp. Their resulting fight for new schools reached the courts, and that had a big ripple effect.

[Rachel Treisman]

So there was this case that resulted in the new school being built. But more importantly, that case became one of the five that the Supreme Court considered in 1952 and in the years following in Brown v. Board of Ed, which challenged segregated education nationwide.

[Gideon Reznick]

The statue depicts Barbara Rose Johns as.

[Host]

Her teenage self in a rallying cry and holding a book in the air.

[Gideon Reznick]

She's joining Illinois's Frances Willard, California's Ronald.

[Host]

Reagan, and Arkansas's Johnny Cash, among others.

[Gideon Reznick]

And Treesman said that the timing of.

[Host]

The unveiling was notable as well.

[Rachel Treisman]

What I think is nationally relevant here, too is we don't see a lot of Confederate statues being replaced in 2025, both because so many of them came down in 2020 and the years after, and also because now under the second Trump administration, there is sort of this push from the White House to reinstall some of those Confederate statues rather than replace them. I think this speaks to the fact that this change has been in the works for five years at this point, well before President Trump was reelected.

[Gideon Reznick]

After the walkout, Barbara had safety concerns.

[Host]

And moved to Alabama to finish her studies.

[Gideon Reznick]

She went to university and later returned.

[Host]

To education as a librarian for Philadelphia public Schools. She died in 1991 and left behind five children. Her old school is among a list of civil rights landmarks across the country.

[Gideon Reznick]

That are being considered as a collective.

[Host]

UNESCO World Heritage Site.

[Gideon Reznick]

And finally, a few other stories were following in what amounted to a pretty stunning revolt in the House of Representatives.

[Host]

Four Republicans broke with House Speaker Mike Johnson's position on extending Affordable Care act subsidies.

[Gideon Reznick]

As you heard on the show yesterday.

[Host]

Johnson forged ahead with a GOP bill that didn't address those subsidies. That bill passed easily in the House, but has little chance in the Senate.

[Gideon Reznick]

The dissenting Republicans, meanwhile, signed on to.

[Host]

A Democratic led discharge petition, which means.

[Gideon Reznick]

There are now enough votes to bypass.

[Host]

The speaker and bring the issue to the House floor. A vote is set for early January.

[Gideon Reznick]

The subsidies, which are used by more than 20 million people, will expire at.

[Host]

The end of the year, leading to health care premiums doubling on average for people who get their insurance through the aca. In response to the defections, Johnson told reporters, quote, I have not lost control of the House.

[Gideon Reznick]

He cited the party's slim majority as.

[Host]

A reason the petition gained enough support.

[Gideon Reznick]

Yesterday, the Senate confirmed a new NASA.

[Host]

Administrator after a year long back and forth drama over filling the role.

[Gideon Reznick]

Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur and private.

[Host]

Astronaut, was first nominated before President Trump was inaugurated. His bid to lead the agency was pulled after Trump had a falling out with Elon Musk over the summer.

[Gideon Reznick]

Isaacman sailed through committee and was expected.

[Host]

To be confirmed, but Trump stopped that.

[Gideon Reznick]

He cited Isaacman's previous donations to prominent.

[Host]

Democrats and his close connections to Musk.

[Gideon Reznick]

Observers noted that installing Isaacman in the.

[Host]

NASA job was a big coup for Musk, whose company, SpaceX, often wins lucrative contracts with the federal government.

[Gideon Reznick]

During his confirmation hearings, Democratic senators questioned.

[Host]

Whether there would be a conflict of interest if Isaacman, who flew two SpaceX missions, were to land the role of NASA administrator. He said there would not be and promised to resign from private sector posts if confirmed.

[Gideon Reznick]

And finally the Oscar goes to YouTube.

[Host]

That's right.

[Gideon Reznick]

Beginning in 2029, the Oscars are going.

[Host]

To stream exclusively on the platform, reaching more than 2 billion people across the world.

[Gideon Reznick]

It's been described as a watershed moment.

[Host]

For the entertainment business, as ABC has been the home for the Oscars since 1976.

[Gideon Reznick]

And it comes at a tense moment.

[Host]

For the industry as debates continue over the future of streaming movie theaters and mergers.

[Gideon Reznick]

One screenwriter summed up his reaction to.

[Host]

The move by saying, quote, YouTube, broadcasting the Oscars is like shaking hands with the guy who's trying to kill you.

[Gideon Reznick]

But Variety writes that there could be some upsides.

[Host]

A show that might not be constrained by a three hour time slot, unfiltered hosts and more.

[Gideon Reznick]

And maybe, just maybe fewer people getting.

[Host]

Their speeches cut as the orchestra plays them off.

[Gideon Reznick]

You can find all these stories and.

[Host]

More in the Apple News app.

[Gideon Reznick]

And if you're already listening to the.

[Host]

News app right now, we have a.

[Gideon Reznick]

Narrated article coming up next. Esquire reports on how the sins of.

[Host]

A televangelist power couple threatened to tear their empire and family apart.

[Gideon Reznick]

If you're listening in the podcast app.

[Host]

You can follow Apple News Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.