The economy is one of the most important issues for voters in the midterm elections. President Trump has been trying to persuade Americans that they are wrong to be frustrated about the cost of living. Ben Casselman, the chief economics correspondent for The New York Times, explains what the latest economic data actually says. Guest: Ben Casselman (https://www.nytimes.com/by/ben-casselman) , the chief economics correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  • Three charts that explain the economy (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/18/business/economy/economy-midterm-elections.html) as voters head to the polls. • Higher energy prices lift U.S. inflation (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/14/business/economy/inflation-cpi.html) ahead of the midterms. Photo: Yuki Iwamura/Associated Press For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily) . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts (http://nytimes.com/podcasts) or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.