Trump To Focus On Economy During Pennsylvania Rally As Cost-Of-Living Worries Persist

President Donald Trump will tout his economic agenda during a speech in Pennsylvania on Tuesday evening as Americans continue to express concerns about the cost of living.

Trump is expected to speak at 6:00 p.m. ET at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, where he will discuss the Republican Party’s plans to ease the strain on Americans’ bank accounts. The president’s rally-style event will be the first stop on a “travel blitz” to tout the administration’s economic actions ahead of the vital 2026 midterm elections, Axios reported.

The economy has come back to the forefront of the political debate ahead of the midterms as voters expressed their concerns about the cost of living during the elections that took place across the country last month. Leftist Democrats had success focusing on economic issues in blue states, such as New York, New Jersey, and Virginia, during their 2025 campaigns. In New York City, voters overwhelmingly elected democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as mayor after Mamdani focused much of his campaign on helping struggling New Yorkers afford housing, groceries, and transportation. Democrats also won gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, running on similar messaging.

Last week, Trump said that Democrats are throwing around the word “affordability” but that “it doesn’t mean anything.” He argued that the so-called affordability crisis is a “fake narrative” pushed by Democrats to score political points.

Yet, in the weeks following Democratic election victories, Trump has ramped up his messaging on his economic agenda and taken action to help relieve economic strain for some Americans. The president gave himself an “A+++++” on the economy during an interview with POLITICO that was released on Tuesday.

On November 14, Trump issued an executive order rolling back tariffs on certain imported foods, such as beef, coffee, and bananas. On Monday, Trump also provided $12 billion of relief to American farmers who have been affected by his massive tariffs on countries around the world.

While the president has rolled back some of his tariffs, he insists that his unprecedented trade actions will energize the American economy and eventually pay off for American consumers.

“We’ve got $18 trillion coming into our country,” Trump said, crediting his tariffs. “Biden had less than a trillion for four years, and he was heading south. Our country was falling apart.”

The president told POLITICO that he “inherited a total mess” after taking the reins from former President Joe Biden.

“Prices were at an all-time high when I came in. Prices are coming down substantially,” Trump said. “Look at energy … energy has come down incredibly. When energy comes down, everything [comes down] … it’s so much bigger than any other subject.”

The White House has also focused on falling gas prices around the country, arguing that Trump’s “pursuit of American energy dominance” is helping ease Americans’ pain at the pump. Average gas prices recently dropped to under $3 per gallon in 37 states, with the median gas price in the United States falling to $2.79, according to GasBuddy.

The Trump administration also said last week that the president’s massive deportation operation has coincided with housing costs dropping for four straight months. CNBC reported that increased housing supply in the multifamily housing market, combined with slowing demand, “is pushing vacancies up and rents down.”

“Prices are coming down. You talk about affordability, the Democrats love to say affordability, but then they never talk about it,” Trump told POLITICO. “They’re the ones that gave us the high prices. I’m the one that’s bringing them down.”