President Trump plans to put to the test his claims that he is addressing Americans’ affordability issues at a rally in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, translating claims 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 President Trump’s economic leadership is wavering. After a disastrous showing for Republicans in last month’s off-cycle elections, the White House is trying to convince voters that the economy will be stronger next year and that worries about inflation have nothing to do with President Trump.
The president has consistently blamed his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, for the inflation, even though the president’s own aggressive policies pushed prices, which had soared in 2022 and then subsided, to a 40-year high. Inflation began to accelerate after President Trump announced sweeping “Emancipation Day” tariffs in April. Businesses have warned that import taxes could be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices and job cuts, but President Trump continues to insist that inflation is subdued.
“We’re bringing prices down significantly,” President Trump said at the White House on Monday. “You can call it ‘affordability’ or whatever, but Democrats created the affordability problem and we are the ones solving it.”
The president’s reception in the county, hosted by Tuesday’s rally, could be a sign of how much voters trust his cause. After supporting Biden in 2020, Monroe County switched to Trump in the 2024 election, helping the Republican win the battleground state of Pennsylvania and return to the White House for the first time in four years.
Home to the Pocono Mountains, the county has relied heavily on tourism for skiing, hiking, hunting, and other activities as a source of employment. Its proximity to New York City (less than a two-hour drive) also attracts people looking for more affordable housing.
It’s also an area that could help determine control of the House in next year’s midterm elections.
President Trump is holding a rally in a congressional district hosted by freshman Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan, a top Democratic target who won the 2024 race by about 1.5 percentage points and is one of the closest in the country. Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti (Democratic) is running for the nomination against him.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is running digital ads on the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader’s website during Trump’s visit, criticizing Bresnahan’s stock trades during his time in Congress and suggesting that Trump is not living up to his promises on double-dealing in Washington.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said on the conservative online talk show “The Mom View” that Trump will be “campaigning” next year with supporters who may miss Congressional elections.
Wiles, who helped run Trump’s 2024 campaign, said that while most administrations try to focus midterm elections locally and keep the president out of the race, she is trying to do the opposite.
“We’re actually going to flip that idea and put him on the ballot, because a lot of these low-propensity voters are Trump supporters,” Wiles said.
Wiles added: “So, I haven’t quite told him that yet, but he’s going to campaign like it’s 2024 again.”
The challenge for Mr. Trump is how to address voters’ concerns about the economy while claiming the economy is enjoying a historic boom.
Asked on the Politico podcast how he would rate the economy, Trump said “A-plus,” leaning toward grade inflation, but later revised his answer to “A-plus plus plus plus plus plus.”
President Trump said he is giving consumers peace of mind by signing agreements that ease fuel economy standards for cars and lower the list price of prescription drugs.
President Trump has also advocated lowering the Federal Reserve’s benchmark interest rate, which affects the money supply of the U.S. economy. He claims it would reduce the cost of mortgages and auto loans, but critics warn that the scale of cuts Trump is seeking could actually worsen inflation.
Stock markets are up this year, the U.S. economy is showing signs of resilience, and overall growth looks solid in the third quarter. But many Americans see the prices of housing, food, education, electricity and other basic needs eating into their incomes, and the Trump administration has said it expects this to slow next year with increased investment in artificial intelligence and manufacturing.
Since November’s election, when Democrats won key elections centered on table issues, Mr. Trump has often dismissed concerns about prices as a “hoax” or “the work of con artists” and implied he is not responsible for inflation, even though he campaigned on his ability to bring prices down quickly. A November poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that only 33% of American adults approve of President Trump’s economic policies.
Bork and Levy contributed to The Associated Press. Levy reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
