By Tim Reid, Nandita Bose and Nathan Layne
WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s repeated mocking of the word “affordability” is worrying Republican strategists, who say the fixation risks undermining White House efforts to reassure Americans about the cost of living – a key voter concern heading into next year’s congressional elections.
Those fears were highlighted during Trump’s speech to supporters in Pennsylvania on Tuesday night. The White House declared the speech the first in a series by the president to address criticism that he is not paying enough attention to voters who say they are struggling with high prices.
Instead, the 90-minute speech turned into attacks on the word “affordability”, which Trump derided as a “hoax” by Democrats to exaggerate the cost of living. While he acknowledged that prices were high, he insisted that the economy was getting stronger and people were taking home more pay.
But Republican strategists told Reuters the president should stop fixating on the term “affordability” and instead focus on presenting a clear plan to lower prices.
“Repeating this claim that affordability is done ignores what’s happening in our economy,” said Jason Cabel Roe, a Republican consultant. “He absolutely needs to do better.”
Government data shows that job growth has slowed during Trump’s second term, unemployment has risen to a four-year high and consumer prices remain high. Overall, economic growth has rebounded somewhat after the economy contracted slightly in the first quarter of the year.
WHITE HOUSE defends Trump ON AFFORDABILITY
A person who speaks regularly with Trump’s top aides, and who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak more freely about the messages, said some of those aides admitted that the president needs to talk more about the domestic economy, especially before the midterm elections next November, with Republican control of both houses of Congress at stake.
Two White House officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, denied that Trump’s disparaging comments about affordability made him seem out of touch with the struggles of ordinary Americans, though they acknowledged that was a complaint from some Republican lawmakers.
White House spokesman Kush Desai defended Trump’s focus on the economy, calling the rally “a reminder to everyday Americans that the Trump administration continues to prioritize affordability.”
Trump’s approval rating rose to 41% in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll as he rolled back some tariffs on food imports and talked more about fighting inflation. But the approval rating on his performance on the cost of living was only 31%.
Officials said Trump will hit the road in the new year to campaign for Republican candidates and highlight his successes in economic policy. Trump says his tax cuts and tariffs on foreign goods will put more money in the pockets of American families.
Speaking to reporters and tech executives at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said Democrats keep talking about affordability, but “they never discuss it. They just say the election is about affordability. Well, it could very well be, I think it’s also still about the border.”
The Democratic Governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, posted on social media that Trump spent his speech “telling Pennsylvanians not to believe what they can see with their own eyes – the rising cost of living and the rising prices at the grocery store.”
Opinion polls show that the cost of living is the main concern of voters and was seen as contributing to a series of recent Democratic electoral victories.
INDEPENDENT VOTERS, MODERATES WILL BE DECISIVE
Trump told the rally, “I have no higher priority than making America affordable again,” while blaming his predecessor, former Democratic President Joe Biden, for high prices.
This is an important message to send to voters, said John Feehery, a longtime Republican, but the tone is important.
“It’s very hard to tell people they’re fine when they’re not feeling fine,” Feehery said.
Charlie Gerow, a Republican strategist based in Pennsylvania, said Trump’s remarks on Tuesday were likely to be “hollow” to moderates and independents, an influential voting bloc that Trump will need to win over if his party is to retain control of Congress.
Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.
“He needs to stay focused on the economy,” Gerow said. Meandering into topics like transgender rights and wind turbines, as he did on Tuesday, “doesn’t help,” he added.
Trump has a crucial role to play next year as the party’s chief economic messenger, said Representative Richard Hudson, chairman of the Republican National Congressional Committee.
“He’s the most effective messenger we have,” Hudson told Reuters.
(Reporting by Tim Reid, Nandita Bose, Trevor Hunnicutt, Nathan Layne, David Morgan and Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Ross Colvin and Leslie Adler)