Terry Schilling, the president of the conservative American Principles Project advocacy group, has admitted that voters have good reason not to trust Republicans when it comes to the economy.

During Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “This Morning,” Schilling suggested the outlook for Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections would look “a lot different” if “we didn’t have $5 a gallon gas” or “the unpopular Iran war,” which Donald Trump launched in February.

Schilling said his group, which advocates socially conservative policies, had found that “voters essentially trust Republicans when it comes to the culture war,” including on issues involving children and transgender athletes.

“But they don’t trust Republicans with the economy,” he added. “And for good reason.”

Republicans are “not articulating what they’re going to do” or what their next step will be, Schilling said.

Anchor Audie Cornish pushed back, pointing out that cultural issues rank “way down on the list” of voters’ concerns compared with the economy.

Schilling acknowledged her point, but argued it’s “tricky” because such polls don’t necessarily measure how voters might shift once they learn a candidate’s position on a particular cultural issue.

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