CINCINNATI — As President Donald Trump prepares to give the State of the Union address to Congress Tuesday, the primary concern looming over the heads of Americans, according to multiple surveys, is the economy.
We wanted to gauge the impact of economic policies on affordability in the Tri-State, so we posed this question to our Facebook followers: Do you feel like the current economy is hurting or helping your business or family?
We received more than 800 comments as of Tuesday evening, spanning a wide array of perspectives.
"Never been in a better financial position in my life," one commenter, Justin Dean Huber, wrote. "Not saying it’s thanks to Trump, but the best financial times in my life has been when Trump was in office so, possible correlation."
Many users shared optimistic outlooks regarding their personal finances, much like Huber.
"Made ($14,000) more last year than 2024. Tax burden was less. 401k is well ahead of where I thought it would be at my age, with a 31% increase in 2025," David Wright Jr. wrote. "Many grocery prices are down, not all though. Car/home insurance went up double digits for 2026. Overall happy compared to what we had from 2021-2024."
Other commenters were more cautious, and even critical of the state of affordability.
"Where are these people getting their groceries where the prices aren’t going up? I want to shop there," Ginny Meacham commented. "Has anybody on here looked at their utility bills lately? Sure gas is going down but for someone who doesn’t drive very much that doesn’t really help."
An ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll found 65% of Americans disapprove of President Trump's handling of inflation, while 64% disapprove of tariffs.
"The Dow is great, but i don't live off stocks. I'm lucky to be tenured with a very stable employer," Nichole Palmisano wrote. "Inflation is still more than pay increases year over year, so I'm doing about the same to a little worse than previous years."
You can find more comments by clicking here.
Beyond the Facebook post, we set out to visit two places that underscore the challenges posed under the current economy: a food bank and a small business.
Matt Tomamichel has owned Corporate, a streetwear shop with three locations including Hyde Park and Dayton, since 2009. He said the past year has been one of the most difficult stretches he's experienced as a business owner.
"The economy, I would say, has kicked us in the chest. We've got up. We found a way to figure it out, then we got tripped up again," Tomamichel said.
Corporate buys products directly from vendors around the world, including Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia, to name a few.
Tomamichel said the rapid and unpredictable nature of tariff-changes has made it nearly impossible to plan.
WATCH: Here is what the cost of living looks like in the Tri-State ahead of the State of the Union address
"You're always passing along the tariff like it doesn't get hidden. There's no way around it. As consumers, we all have to be mindful of it," Tomamichel said.
He described watching footwear brands shift their manufacturing from China to Vietnam in response to tariff pressures — a sign, he said, that even major brands are scrambling to adapt. Despite declining sales, Tomamichel said he has made it a priority to avoid laying off any of his roughly 12 full-time employees.
"If we can get through this unscathed with employees, that would be my main goal," Tomamichel said.
He said he last felt truly comfortable with his business's direction two to three years ago, when he had just opened a third location in Dayton and growth felt sustainable.
At Shared Harvest Food Bank in Fairfield, staff said the past year has brought a significant increase in the number of people seeking help. Allie Godfrey, Shared Harvest director of development, said the numbers tell a clear story.
"We both go to the grocery store, and we've seen the price of groceries increase," Godfrey said.
According to an annual service area assessment from Feeding America — the nation's largest hunger relief organization and a partner of Shared Harvest — the population of food insecure individuals in Butler County alone grew by more than 10,000 from 2024 to 2025.
Last month, the food bank welcomed 40 first-time families at its on-site pantry.
"Which is a fairly significant amount. So we're seeing more people, again, relying on the services that we provide," Godfrey said.
Godfrey said the food bank currently serves approximately 47,000 individuals per month across its five-county service area. She noted that a single $1 donation allows Shared Harvest to provide eight meals — a figure she said has made private donations especially critical as need continues to grow.
She said the trend is not unique to Butler County, adding that food banks across Ohio and the nation are reporting similar increases.
"It could be anyone. It could be your neighbor," Godfrey said. "You don't know if they just lost their job or lost their home. So I think one of the biggest things is just having empathy for the situation and understanding that everyone's going through something right now."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
