1) The president doesn't have a magic dial to bring down prices, and
2) Trump loves tariffs which have inflationary effects no matter how you spin it
So all the complaints about high prices was just for show since they don't actually care.
EDIT: 3) Inflation was a global phenomenon and the U.S. was actually outperforming most countries in bringing the rate of inflation down.
You might think that this isn't a very satisfying answer for those who aren't already onboard.
I'm not saying that this is a steel-man rational argument for Republicans, but I think it is a popular narrative to quell cognitive dissonance within their ranks (applied to other issues as well).
The pain is easier to endure if you truly believe that the pain is for your own benefit.
Notwithstanding that Biden was punished for inflationary spending, all Trump had to do was lean on the perception that people "had it better" in his term. You don't need to lower prices if your wages go up, and notwithstanding that this lags, the perception has been that wages have not kept up. Obviously the intuition was that electing Trump would lead to better outcomes, not some nefarious hidden motivation behind every voter.
> So all the complaints about high prices was just for show since they don't actually care.
That is not what it shows. All it telegraphs is that expectations are distorted. The polls were clear that inflation was the #1 motivating factor.
Black, hispanic, and Asian voters all shifted right. Harris did ok with whites. Is that because those voters do not care about prices? Is that because you think those people of color are stupid? Be serious.
No one is saying these people can't complain about high prices, but that we can't lie to ourselves about the solution. It was obvious to many that Trump would not fix this on day one and possibly make it worse. Now we're seeing the start of a potential trade war.
0: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/americans-wages-are...
Most of it had no bearing on my point in the first place, but your claim that voters "didn't actually care" was refuted and you haven't offered a credible reason to believe it.
> It was obvious to many
Not to Trump's voters.