WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will road test his claims that he is addressing America’s affordability woes at a rally Tuesday in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania — turning an argument made in Oval Office appearances and social media posts into a campaign-style event.
The trip comes as polls consistently show that public confidence in Trump’s economic leadership has declined. After dismal results for Republicans in last month’s off-cycle elections, the White House sought to convince voters that the economy will emerge stronger next year and that any anxiety about inflation has nothing to do with Trump.
The president has consistently blamed his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, for inflation even as his own aggressive implementation of policies pushed up prices that were settling after rising in 2022 to a four-decade high. Inflation began to accelerate after Trump announced his massive “Liberation Day” tariffs in April. Companies have warned that import taxes could be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices and reduced rents, but Trump still insists that inflation has slowed.
“We’re cutting prices,” Trump said at the White House on Monday. “You can call it ‘affordability’ or whatever you want — but the Democrats caused the affordability problem and we’re the ones who are fixing it.”
The reception of the president in the county that hosts his rally on Tuesday may give a signal of how much voters trust his claims. Monroe County flipped for Trump in the 2024 election after supporting Biden in 2020, helping the Republican win the swing state of Pennsylvania and return to the White House after a four-year hiatus.
As home to the Pocono Mountains, the county has relied on tourism for skiing, hiking, hunting and other activities as a source of employment. Its proximity to New York City — under two hours by car — has also attracted people looking for more affordable housing.
It is also an area that could help decide control of the House in next year’s mid-term elections.
Trump is holding his rally in a congressional district held by Republican primary Rob Bresnahan, who is a top Democratic target and won his 2024 race by about 1.5 percentage points, among the closest in the nation. Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, a Democrat, is running for the nomination to challenge him.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said on the conservative online talk show “The Mom View” that Trump will be on the “campaign trail” next year to engage supporters who might otherwise sit out a congressional race.
Wiles, who helped manage Trump’s 2024 campaign, said most administrations try to localize the midterm elections and keep the president out of the race, but she intends to do the opposite.
“We’re actually going to change that,” Wiles said, “and put it on the ballot because a lot of those low-leaning voters are Trump voters.”
Wiles added, “So I haven’t completely broken it yet, but he’s going to campaign again like it’s 2024.”
Trump said he is giving relief to consumers by relaxing fuel efficiency standards for cars and signing deals to lower list prices on prescription drugs.
Trump also advocated for a reduction in the reference interest rate of the Federal Reserve — which influences the supply of money in the American economy. He argues that it would reduce the cost of mortgages and car loans, although critics warn that the scaling back sought by Trump could instead exacerbate inflation.
The US economy has shown signs of resilience with the stock market up this year and overall growth looking solid for the third quarter. But many Americans see the prices of housing, groceries, education, electricity and other basic needs eating away at their incomes, a dynamic the Trump administration has said it expects to fade next year with more investments in artificial intelligence and manufacturing.
Since the November elections where Democrats won key races with a focus on kitchen table issues, Trump has often dismissed concerns about prices as a “hoax” and a “con job” to suggest he bears no responsibility for inflation, even though he campaigned on his ability to lower prices quickly. Only 33% of American adults approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, according to a November poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
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Levy reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.