April’s media coverage paints a grim picture of the American economy. Axios reports an 11% drop in the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index—the fourth straight month of decline. CNN echoes, citing inflation expectations at a 40-year high and widespread economic despair cutting across demographics. According to the establishment narrative, President Trump’s tariff policy is responsible for crushed confidence, rattled markets, and spooked consumers.

But MIG Reports data shows real-time voter conversations are telling a more layered story. Online discourse shows frustration but also resolve, adaptation, and even pockets of optimism. In contrast to the media’s portrayal of national helplessness, voters are split in their fundamental view of what drives economic security.

Media Narrative: A Disastrous “Confidence Collapse”

Mainstream outlets have tethered April’s consumer confidence plunge directly to Trump’s tariff policies. Axios suggests these moves are pushing the U.S. toward “historic inflation,” while CNN frames the response as universal panic.

The headlines are creating a unified narrative that consumers are worried, inflation is spiraling, and Trump’s economic unpredictability is to blame. There’s no recognition of voter nuance, policy debate, or the deeper roots of economic anxiety. The public is cast not as participants, but as casualties of a reckless experiment.

Online Discourse is Polarized but Purposeful

MIG Reports analysis shows recent online comments are far more complex in their reactions:

• 35% express hope: They view tariffs as leverage to force fairer global trade terms and restore U.S. manufacturing.
• 30% maintain a neutral stance: They focus on real-time data without clear emotional framing.
• 35% are in despair: They see Trump's economy as driven by malpractice, raising costs and eroding middle-class security.

This is not uniform gloom. It’s a contested terrain, where nationalism, economic survival, and distrust of elite narratives intersect. MIG Reports analysis prior to the election showed negativity, particularly among younger voters. According to online sentiment, Americans are worried but not significantly more than they have been in recent months.

Strategic Tariffs vs. Regressive Tax

Supporters frame Trump’s 90-day tariff pause (excluding China) as a calibrated move. They cite market rebound as proof of strategy, not chaos. Meanwhile, Democrats accuse Trump of insider trading.

Critics say Trump's tariff policies function as a backdoor sales tax. Price hikes on essentials—like auto parts and eggs—fall hardest on families. Many accuse the administration of flip-flopping for market timing, citing Trump’s “buy now” messages as signals of insider manipulation.

An insider trading scandal is brewing.

Trump's 9:30am tweet makes it clear he was eager for his people to make money off the private info only he knew. So who knew ahead of time and how much money did they make? pic.twitter.com/AJbtEq372n

— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 10, 2025

Still, even among critics, there’s recognition that Trump's tactics might work.

Congressional Failure and Institutional Distrust

At the same time, voters are livid with Congress for abdicating its constitutional role in trade policy. Across ideological lines, many now accuse legislators of enabling executive overreach while enriching themselves through insider trading.

While this has been a complaint on the right for many years, in the wake of Trump’s controversial policies, people on the left are beginning to adopt the cry. This causes some conservatives to accuse Democrats of shaping their policy positions on opposition to Trump, rather than pragmatism, logic, or values.

Either way, there's growing momentum behind dramatic institutional reform on:

• Term limits
• Bans on congressional insider trading
• Restoration of tariff authority to Congress

Outside of the tariff conversation, this isn’t anti-Trump sentiment but anti-elite and corruption. In many instances, economic discussions merge with institutional criticism.

Media vs. Voters: Who's Really Out of Touch?

Media outlets are painting a picture of the sky falling. Voters, however, are as divided as ever. While they acknowledge inflation and market swings, they resist the narrative of helplessness. Many see the media as stoking panic for political ends.

The Axios-CNN consensus treats voters as consumers of fear. But the digital public sphere shows Americans seeking agency, searching for reasonable analysis, and demanding accountability—not only from Trump, but from the entire governing class.

In swing-state discussions, Trump still garners strong support, even among those nervous about the economy. Economic pain hasn’t translated into political abandonment. Instead, it has amplified demands for structural correction and realignment.

Online discourse about corruption and allegations surged in the last week with an unmistakable sense that Americans are done waiting. The voices captured in this dataset are past reform, they demand retribution. Americans now critique both bad actors and the system itself. They see the court as structurally incapable of prosecuting its own rot. Across political alignments, and particularly among Republicans, voters speak in absolutes. They do not ask whether there is corruption. They ask why no one has been arrested.

The Collapse of Legitimacy

• Roughly 85% of online commentary carries a deeply negative tone with directed fury.
• Nearly 70% of Americans participating in these discussions believe legal action against corrupt officials should have already taken place.
• People see the absence of prosecutions as institutional betrayal. The state, in this framing, does not protect the citizen—it protects itself.

Disillusionment not isolated. It touches views of elected officials, judges, bureaucrats, and especially law enforcement and intelligence bodies. The language includes “deep state,” “treason,” “fraud,” and “swamp” as categories for how voters interpret governance.

Where are all the arrests? pic.twitter.com/x8zR4SvTL9

— AlphaFo𝕏 (@Alphafox78) April 8, 2025

Linguistic Hostility and Moral Absolutism

Emotionally charged and often vulgar, the discourse eschews euphemism. Discussions use direct accusations, rhetorical interrogation, and calls for immediate, public consequences. People are angry about the uninterrupted impunity of the corrupt. Many on both sides believe the rule of law has been suspended.

Roughly 60% of language samples use hyperbolic or symbolic metaphors to reinforce this urgency. Terms like “rats,” “cleaning house,” and “perp walks” operate as ritual demands—litmus tests for whether power still answers to the public.

WHERE ARE THE ARRESTS?

— Ann Vandersteel™️ (@annvandersteel) April 9, 2025

Republicans Under the Microscope

In Republican-centric discourse, critiques are sharp. While they condemn Democrats as expected adversaries, the ire reserved for Republican officials is more intense and personal.

• 75% of Republican commentary pushes for legal and punitive responses to corruption. And the party’s failure to deliver justice draws the most venom.

Betrayal narratives dominate as voters cast Republican leaders as unwilling to hold perpetrators accountable. Voters see campaign promises as cover operations and grandstanding as complicity. "Controlled opposition" is a recurring phrase, blurring lines between adversary and ally.

Corruption as a Totalizing System

Across all discussions, Americans brush aside incidental misconduct to focus on structural corruption. Nearly half the discussions tie financial exploitation—insider trading, NGO profiteering, taxpayer abuse—directly into the corruption matrix. Cultural commentary, while smaller in volume, situates these crimes within a broader decay of traditional American values, facilitated by elite collusion and media distraction.

Mentions of the Jeffrey Epstein client list serve as a symbolic anchor. The scandal has become a symbolic proof of concept for how high-profile, bipartisan corruption is perpetually insulated from consequences.

Institutional Nihilism

Nihilism dominates sentiment as voters express their beliefs that no current actor or agency is willing to expose and punish the corrupt. This leaves Americans concluding the system is self-protecting and irredeemable. About 10% of discussions hold out a cautious hope for reckoning, but they are drowned out by the prevailing perception that the republic’s organs are gangrenous.

Many use their demands for punitive action like indictments, arrests, and perp walks, as prerequisites for any restoration of trust. The absence of such action is equated with treason.

Looking Ahead

One of the few areas the American electorate is no longer split right from left is on their distrust of corrupt actors and institutions. The narratives are counter-systemic and advocate for retribution. Voters want a purge that can address endemic corruption in the federal government and dismantle a system of abuse.

And until someone is walked out in cuffs, the assumption will hold: those in power are not failing—they are conspiring.

Claims by some Trump allies and the media that Donald Trump might seek a third presidential term gets negative reactions. Legally, the vast majority of Americans say the idea is dead on arrival. They cite the 22nd Amendment is clear, reiterating that no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.

The idea of a third Trump term has become a psychological and rhetorical device, used by voters to project fears or hopes onto a figure who continues to disrupt the political order. MIG Reports data is unsurprising, showing Americans, regardless of political alignment, overwhelmingly reject the feasibility of a third Trump term.

Do Voters Take the Idea Seriously?

Overall, voters do not take the notion of Trump attempting a third term seriously. Across multiple data sets, 70-95% of discussions dismiss the claim as unrealistic or legally impossible. Voters point out that a third term is constitutionally barred.

Although many voters do not believe it is legally possible, many are still concerned about Trump’s executive behavior, warning his unilateral actions pose a threat to democracy. Around 30% of those discussing this issue take the suggestion seriously. The other 70% brush it off as hyperbolic.

Those who take the claim seriously also tend to be strongly in the opposition camp. Mostly on the left, they warn of authoritarian and fascist tendencies by the Trump administration. On the right, few take the idea seriously but those who do use it as a cudgel to get reactions out of the opposition.

Sentiment Breakdown

Disapproval of the third-term idea is remarkably consistent.

• 80-90% of commenters oppose it outright.
• Approval ranges from 7-25%—although irony and memetic supportive gestures may be included.
• Most approval is concentrated in economic populist spaces.
• For this group, the idea of a third term functions more as a rebellion against establishment consensus than a concrete policy demand.

Voters across ideological lines express exhaustion with the political and ideological divides in America. Many people are looking for mental reprieve, not more conflict. The idea of another Trump presidency, particularly one outside constitutional norms, is viewed as destabilizing, not invigorating, for a clear majority.

Partisan Framing: Fear vs. Function

Left-leaning voices use the third-term rumor to indict Trump as a would-be authoritarian. Phrases like “destroy the Constitution” and “sociopathic dictator” are common. These claims often accompany calls to invoke the 25th Amendment or other institutional remedies. They emphasize a recurring distrust of Trump’s motives and a perceived pattern of executive overreach.

Right-leaning voices, including many MAGA voters, mostly brush off the rumor. When they engage with it, they frame it as either media fabrication or exaggerated liberal hysteria. Their focus is mor on procedurally dismantling institutional norms and tangible performance—jobs, tariffs, and trade balances.

The populist right, in particular, uses third-term language to praise Trump’s disruptive style. They’re not necessarily arguing for a constitutional revision, but applauding his refusal to play by elite rules.

Heightened Rhetoric and Media Amplification

In many voters’ minds, the idea of a Trump third term is more of a trial balloon than a legislative proposal. It tests how voters process anxiety about institutional control, media bias, and cultural polarization. Social media accelerates that dynamic, allowing fringe speculation or jovial memes to reach mainstream audiences.

This discussion is not focused on the 2028 election. It's more geared toward current views of the Trump administration. Voters do not seem to be thinking seriously about a future, hypothetical third term. Rather, the discussion seems trained on Trump's governing style in 2025.

Unease among critics stems from his executive assertiveness, particularly on tariffs and global trade. In every discussion, his economic maneuvering is interpreted either as bold corrective action or as unilateral overreach.