A top pollster for President Donald J. Trump privately briefed House Republicans this week, delivering a blunt message:
Stop letting Democrats control the health care narrative — redirect the fight toward lowering drug prices alongside Trump.
The meeting, held just blocks from the Capitol, brought together members of the Republican Study Committee, including Speaker Mike Johnson. Behind closed doors, veteran GOP strategist Tony Fabrizio unveiled brand-new polling showing how Republicans can dismantle Democrats’ talking points about expiring Obamacare subsidies.
Fabrizio’s Core Message: Don’t Play Their Game — Change It
According to multiple attendees speaking anonymously, Fabrizio laid out a clear plan:
➡️ Don’t get bogged down defending Obamacare tax credits.
➡️ Don’t extend them. Don’t chase the Democrats’ frame.
➡️ Pivot aggressively to drug price relief — with Trump leading the charge.
Republican insiders say the polling was unmistakable:
Voters care far more about the cost of prescription drugs than about an Obamacare subsidy fight Democrats are trying to revive.
And Trump — who has hammered Big Pharma for years — is already setting the terms of the debate.
One aide summarized Fabrizio’s message:
“Shift the battlefield. Hit Democrats where they’re weakest — drug prices and affordability.”
Trump Has Pushed This Fight Before — GOP Leaders Dragged Their Feet
This strategy isn’t new. Trump has repeatedly tried to get House GOP leaders to take bold action on drug costs, even attempting to include his “most favored nation” policy in the massive Republican spending package earlier this year.
The pharmaceutical industry hated it.
Some GOP leaders resisted it.
But Trump kept pushing.
Speaker Johnson even admitted he wasn’t a fan of the measure at the time — though Fabrizio’s new numbers may be changing minds.
Housing Crisis: Another Issue Democrats Don’t Want to Talk About
Fabrizio didn’t stop at health care. He hammered home the reality facing millions of voters:
➡️ Record-high housing prices
➡️ Soaring mortgage rates
➡️ The dream of homeownership slipping further away
Voters are furious — and they blame Washington.
Fabrizio urged Republicans to make housing affordability a core campaign issue, especially as the RSC crafts a potential party-line bill heading into the midterms.
One of the more innovative ideas he encouraged:
Trump-inspired portable mortgages, which would allow Americans to take their low interest rate with them when they move.
The pitch is simple, bold, and devastating to Democrats’ economic message.
Tennessee’s Special Election Was a Warning Shot
Fabrizio also broke down Tuesday’s special election in Tennessee — a district that should have been a Republican landslide, but the GOP only won by single digits.
The result spooked party strategists.
Why the underperformance?
Fabrizio told lawmakers the reason was painfully clear:
Republicans weren’t talking enough about affordability.
Not culture war.
Not messaging gimmicks.
Not symbolism.
Affordability.
Voters are crushed by rising prices, and Democrats are offering nothing but excuses and distractions.
Fabrizio warned the room:
“Stay focused on the economy. Talk about what working families actually feel.”
The Bottom Line: Trump’s Strategy Is the Strategy
Democrats want the election to be about Obamacare subsidies.
Trump’s team wants it to be about:
- Drug prices
- Housing affordability
- The brutal cost-of-living crisis
- Real kitchen-table issues Democrats keep sidelining
And Fabrizio made it clear:
When Republicans follow Trump’s lead, they win the argument — and likely the election.