Key Point: “It’s Trump who’s in danger of appearing out of touch. Ahead of midterm elections next year, voters are feeling squeezed by high prices and blaming Trump for not doing enough to ease the cost of living, polling shows. A new NBC News Decision Desk survey shows that 53% of adults have changed their grocery-buying habits to stay within budget, while 55% have cut back on entertainment and “extras” so that they can afford life’s necessities… Drinking a coffee, a 76-year-old retired truck driver said he doubts Trump will succeed in reducing prices. He said he’s had to alter his spending habits to make ends meet.”

NBC News: Trump served McDonald’s to connect with voters. Now, many feel they can’t afford it.

By Peter Nicholas

• These days, it’s Trump who’s in danger of appearing out of touch. 

• Ahead of midterm elections next year, voters are feeling squeezed by high prices and blaming Trump for not doing enough to ease the cost of living, polling shows.

• A new NBC News Decision Desk survey shows that 53% of adults have changed their grocery-buying habits to stay within budget, while 55% have cut back on entertainment and “extras” so that they can afford life’s necessities.

• Beef prices are up nearly 13%, chicken prices are up 2% and bread is up 4%. Orange juice prices have climbed 28% since the start of Trump’s term, according to Nielsen IQ data in the NBC News grocery price tracker.

• Overall, an AP-NORC poll found that just 31% of adults approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, the lowest rating he’s notched in either his first or second term.

• As for the affordability issue, he calls it a “hoax” perpetrated by Democrats.

• A dissenting note came from one of the regulars. Drinking a coffee, a 76-year-old retired truck driver said he doubts Trump will succeed in reducing prices. He said he’s had to alter his spending habits to make ends meet.

• “I used to eat a lot of beef; I can’t afford that,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Even when I see reduced prices at different supermarkets, they’re still on the expensive side.”

• He mentioned the unemployment rate, which stood at 4.4% in September, the highest it has been in the last four years.

• “A lot of the people who voted for him, they didn’t vote for the layoffs,” he said.