Many would rather forget the COVID-19 pandemic that descended upon the United States and the world nearly five years ago. However, its effects are still very much with us.

The rampant inflation the pandemic spurred weighed heavily on American voters’ minds in 2024. The Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, won a second, nonconsecutive term over Vice President Kamala Harris by arguing relentlessly that the country’s financial situation was in better shape under his leadership.