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With less than a week to go before President Donald Trump‘s first State of the Union address of his second presidential term, the White House is quietly preparing its war footing. During a private meeting at the Capitol Hill Club, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles coalesced scores of senior staffers alongside Cabinet members to be briefed by pollster Tony Fabrizio on messaging for the 2026 elections. The thesis of Fabrizio’s warning, that the economy and cost of living, but specifically healthcare and housing prices, will determine 2026, is unsurprising for anyone who has followed Tiana’s Take in the Washington Examiner magazine. But the fact that Trump seems to be taking the warning signs far more seriously than former President Joe Biden ever did is less expected and better news for Republicans.