White House aides are increasingly alarmed by President Donald Trump's inability to remain focused on substantive policy matters, according to leaks that describe the president as "extremely distracted" and exhibiting signs of what insiders characterize as "physical and cognitive decline."

The Daily Beast reported that these leaks are not casual rumors, noting: "These aides are speaking out because they fear Trump is almost literally sleepwalking into a midterm disaster."

The disclosures were surfaced by Alyssa Farah Griffin, who served as White House strategic communications director during Trump's first term. Speaking on CNN on Wednesday, she stated that "the president continues to seem extremely distracted. White House advisers — I talk to many of them — they simply want him to focus on the economy, yet he will not do that."

"For some reason, he wants to talk about virtually everything but the economy and lowering the cost of living," Farah Griffin continued. She predicted that as a result of his inattention to economic issues, "the midterms don't look great for Republicans," adding, "I think it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that the House is going to flip." Historically, the president's party has lost House seats in nearly every midterm cycle over the past several decades, a pattern that would be compounded if current economic discontent persists through November.

A CNN poll released the same day shows Trump's approval rating has dropped to 34 percent — the lowest level recorded since the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots at the end of his first term. That figure places him well below the approval ratings of recent presidents at comparable points in their second terms. According to the Daily Beast, the decline has been driven by a series of scandals and controversies over the past 18 months, with economic handling being a primary factor: approximately two-thirds of respondents said the president's policies have "worsened economic conditions in the country."

Despite polls consistently showing that the economy and cost of living rank as Americans' top concerns — and were cited as key reasons voters elected Trump to a second term — the president has repeatedly dismissed affordability as a Democratic "hoax" designed to damage him politically.

"It was a word, you know, made up by the Democrats: affordability," Trump said at a rally earlier this month. "They said, affordability. I said, I've been here one day. Don't worry, I'll take care of it. And we're taking care of it."

He made similar remarks in December. "It's a con job. I think affordability is the greatest con job," he stated. Later that same month, he said: "They use the word 'affordability,' and that's their only word. They say, 'Affordability,' and everyone says, 'Oh, that must mean Trump has high prices.' No, our prices are coming down tremendously. They have a new word. They always have a hoax. The new word is 'affordability.'"

Economic data, however, tells a different story. According to tracking by NBC News, grocery prices have either risen steadily or remained elevated throughout Trump's second term. Gas prices have surged more than 30 percent as of late July following the president's decision to launch military action against Iran, as reported by NBC News. Consumer sentiment has consequently fallen to a record low, a trend that has historically correlated with electoral losses for the incumbent party.