Americans' Economic Gloom Persists Ahead of Midterms as Pet Costume Spending Is Debated

Americans are nearly as gloomy about the economy as they were when the country was emerging from the pandemic, with the U.S. midterm elections approaching, according to a CNBC feature titled "America by the numbers." The piece examines how voters feel about four subjects: the economy, inflation, artificial intelligence and Trump. Separately, BlazeTV hosts Stu Burguiere and Dave Landau have asked why Americans are preparing to spend nearly $1 billion on Halloween costumes for their dogs. They said headlines warn of financial strain even as consumers keep buying nonessential items. Burguiere said he is a bit confused about the economy overall. The available excerpts give no further figures, poll results or dates, and do not say what comes next.

Left-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing; only alternative/independent and right-leaning outlets had. The Blaze, the right-leaning outlet, leads with the dog-costume spending and uses it as a challenge to the premise of a bad economy. Its headline is a rhetorical question, and it features its own hosts, Burguiere and Landau, rather than data. The Blaze's headline says Americans spent over $1 billion, while its excerpt says they are preparing to spend nearly $1 billion. CNBC, the alternative/independent source, has a distinct angle: it frames the story around voter sentiment ahead of the midterms and compares today's mood with the pandemic recovery. It also puts AI and Trump alongside the economy and inflation. The two sources agree that the economy and public mood are the topic and that negative headlines are part of the picture. They differ in method and voice: CNBC offers a broad, numbers-oriented overview of voter attitudes, while The Blaze offers host commentary built on one consumer-spending example. The excerpts do not show whether either piece mentions the other's evidence.