Trump administration takes its economic message to Pennsylvania again as Vance heads to swing state

President Donald Trump I bragged to the Pennsylvanians He said last week that it had delivered “incredible” economics. Now, it’s up to Vice President J.D. Vance to explain why they haven’t felt the benefits yet.

Vance will return to the swing state on Tuesday to tout Trump’s economic agenda, marking his latest push on the issue. affordability concerns It drags down the president’s reputation and raises fears among Republicans that they are heading for midterm disaster.

Cost of living crisis Including rising housing and grocery prices in the U.S., it has become a daunting political issue for the GOP that many White House officials acknowledge they must resolve as they approach 2026.

But it’s also an issue that Trump himself refuses to fully acknowledge, insisting instead that the economy is already growing and voters’ own fiscal concerns are overblown.

Speaking at the first leg of a so-called event in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountain last week affordable tour Trump, who is expected to kick into high gear early next year, largely ignored his prepared remarks in favor of a speech full of off-topic ramblings that only occasionally touched on cost-of-living concerns. And he relentlessly blamed former President Joe Biden for any negativity regarding the economy.

As administration officials try to reach the broader coalition of voters who put Trump back in the White House and are now increasingly skeptical of his promise to usher in an economic “golden age,” it was left to Vance to deliver the more nuanced, empathetic message that Trump did not.

Trump advisers working on the administration’s affordability narrative have emphasized the need to call for patience and instill hope that the economic tide will soon turn, rather than ignoring or belittling Americans’ struggles.

“You have to take people seriously. I don’t think you can argue with what they feel,” said Tomas Philipson, a former senior economic official appointed by Trump. “They’re not experts on why they’re feeling stuck, but they’re certainly experts on whether they’re having a hard time.”

The vice president is expected to repeat much of what he said during remarks in Lehigh County on Tuesday the case put forward When he directly addressed Americans’ affordability concerns at a Breitbart News event last month. He argued that the administration has made “incredible progress” on inflation, but also acknowledged that people are still struggling and asked for patience to let Trump’s policies take hold.

“Despite the progress we’ve made, it’s going to take some time for every American to feel the economic boom that we truly believe is coming. We believe we’re at the front end of it,” Vance said at the event.

A Vance spokesman echoed that message while watching the vice president’s speech on CNN.

“The benefits of Trump’s economic agenda are just beginning to emerge, and there is more work to be done in the new year,” they said. “We expect Vice President Vance to emphasize the fact that making America affordable again is the Trump administration’s No. 1 priority.”

White House aides argue that the economy’s fundamentals are stronger than most voters believe, pointing to the soaring stock market and a wave of private sector investment commitments since Trump took office. They note that Americans’ average wages are rising faster than the rate of inflation, and their overall purchasing power is increasing. Despite the attention paid to the skyrocketing costs of individual items such as beef, officials argue that prices elsewhere have stabilized or fallen as the administration has redoubled efforts in recent weeks to address falling gasoline prices.

Even if they make some gains on paper, surveys show Americans no longer feel financially secure; This creates a messaging problem that has frustrated the Biden administration for years and is now burdening Trump. A. latest Gallup poll Only 36% of voters approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, showing that Trump is in deep water on economic issues.

“The things economists look at are not the things the average consumer pays attention to,” Philipson said. “They have lives to run and they don’t care about economic statistics.”

Vance, long seen as the president’s key ambassador on major policy issues, has sought to ease voters’ concerns by emphasizing that Republicans’ fiscal outlook will improve in 2026 with new tax policies passed as part of the “big, beautiful bill.” start kicking. He also sought to blame ongoing inflation concerns on the Biden administration; This reflects a broader White House effort to direct criticism toward cost-of-living challenges, even as officials acknowledge that those challenges exist.

“It’s incumbent on the White House to show that the president inherited a damaged economy and that things are getting better, especially once his policies actually take effect,” one official said.

Still, Vance’s trip Tuesday will serve as an important test of whether he can succeed as a successful messenger on this issue, especially if Trump continues to pursue a less empathetic communications strategy.

Trump calls increased attention on affordability a “Democratic hoax”; But officials sought to clarify that he was claiming Democrats had “their own problems,” not voters’ broader economic concerns.

The president has also resisted admitting any flaws in his handling of the economy, rating his handling of it an “A plus plus plus plus plus plus plus” and insisting that prices are “falling” despite widespread evidence to the contrary.

It’s a message that even Trump’s allies admit doesn’t resonate with voters.

“There was real optimism among a lot of voters after Trump won,” said Stephen Moore, Trump’s former economic adviser. “And that fell apart.”

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