Trump to tour PA promoting economic strategies amid affordability concerns

the The white house It adds pressure to former President Joe Biden’s economic record as voters express dissatisfaction with current cost-of-living problems that President Donald Trump campaigned to undo after his economic successes in his first term.

“Putting an end to Joe Biden’s inflation and affordability crisis was a priority on President Trump’s first day,” White House spokesman Khush Desai told Fox News Digital on Monday morning when asked about the White House’s message on affordability.

“Every Trump administration official has played their part over the past year to achieve this priority, from cutting costly regulations to securing historic drug pricing deals — efforts that have cooled inflation and raised real wages,” he continued. “There is still much work to do, but President Trump is highlighting the tangible progress his administration has made and will continue to make to turn around Joe Biden’s economic disaster.”

The Trump administration is facing a crisis over its economic messaging as Democrats increasingly and effectively lean into their “affordability” message that helped deliver a string of election victories during the November off-season cycle.

Jen Psaki mocks Trump and GOP over ‘affordability’ message during Colbert appearance

The White House is increasing its pressure on former President Joe Biden’s economic record. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Americans’ feelings of financial uncertainty come after Trump announced during his election campaign that he would lower prices “quickly” upon his return to the Oval Office after the end of Biden’s term, while administration officials said that Trump’s economy during his second term is “thriving” as he takes ownership of the economic gains.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick even claimed months ago that Trump’s economics had taken hold after the Biden administration’s escalating inflation problems.

“The Trump economy has officially arrived,” Lutnick posted to X in July while noting the rise in GDP and Trump’s tariff policies.

“Biden’s first quarter is over, and growth is already accelerating. President Trump’s tariff policies have attracted historic investment and opened global markets to American companies. Congratulations America: 3 percent today, and we’re just getting started,” Lutnick said in a message to X.

When asked about the previous comments amid the White House’s push to bolster the president’s economic record, a White House official said Monday: “Lutnick is not the president.”

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick claimed in July that Trump economics had officially arrived. (Terry Monaci/Getty Images)

The administration has repeatedly taken victory laps for its economic victories this year — while also taking aim at the Biden administration — including celebrating in recent months that “the economy is back in business.” Track under the boss Trump, said there had been “explosive growth In Trump’s economy,While the President asserted that the tariff policies amounted to “Huge success.”

Vance acknowledges voters are ‘impatient’ about affordability, rejects ‘completely bull— narrative’

“President Trump’s America First economic agenda has created a booming economy — jobs are up, unemployment is down, wages are rising, and inflation is dead,” White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said in June. “More than 139,000 good jobs were added to the private sector in May, all for American-born workers. Americans must continue to trust President Trump, who continues to exceed expectations.”

However, voters reported that they did not feel comfortable financially.

Trump is scheduled to travel to Pennsylvania on Tuesday, a key battleground state that helped him secure his victory in 2024, to promote his administration’s economic and growth policies amid voters’ reports of fiscal anxiety.

The economy has been a cornerstone of Trump’s time in political office, including underpinning his victories in his first administration — such as record unemployment and gas prices that have fallen to less than $2 a gallon.

However, about 76% of voters reported they viewed the economy unfavorably, up from 67% who reported the same in July, as well as 70% who said the same at the end of Biden’s term, a national Fox News poll found in November.

The poll found that voters overwhelmingly blamed Trump over Biden. About twice as many voters surveyed reported that Trump, not Biden, is responsible for the current economy, with three times as many voters reporting that Trump’s economic policies have hurt them, which is on par with their feelings during Biden’s final year in office.

Trump’s affordability messaging itself has evolved in recent years, with his 2024 campaign touting one that would “make America affordable again,” and the president later lamenting in November that “affordability” should be a message owned by Republicans, before also calling Democrats’ messaging on affordability a “hoax” earlier in December.

“Just say it. Affordability. I inherited the worst inflation in history. There was no affordability. No one could afford anything. Prices were too high,” Trump said during a December Cabinet meeting.

“But the word affordability is a hoax by Democrats,” Trump continued.

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Now, the White House asserts that Biden’s economy is still strangling Americans’ pockets and that the Trump administration is working to right the ship.

President Donald Trump has highlighted former President Joe Biden’s economic record while in office. (AFP/Evan Vucci)

The White House told Fox Digital that Trump “consistently — and correctly — pointed out how Joe Biden has unleashed a generational economic disaster” from the campaign to the presidency.

“This undeniable fact has not stopped Democrats from shamelessly trying to harp on the affordability crisis they created in the first place,” Desai said. “With inflation slowing and trillions in investments flowing, President Trump’s agenda is already delivering on the booming economy Americans enjoyed during his first term — and he and the administration will continue to emphasize the work we are doing to make that happen.”

A White House official added that Americans will feel the tax cuts at the beginning of the new year.

“We inherited chaos,” Trump said from a roundtable on Monday. “Affordability. But you can call it affordability or whatever you want, but Democrats caused the affordability problem, and we’re the ones who fix it. So it’s a very simple statement. They caused it and we fix it.”

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Friday, October 10, 2025, to announce a deal with AstraZeneca Plc to lower consumer prices on some of the company’s drugs. (Sean Theo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump sets Democrats’ ‘fake affordability’ pitch on fire — but GOP panic in deep red state suggests voters aren’t buying it

The Biden administration has seen the highest inflation rate that has rocked the country in 40 years, 30-year mortgage interest rates rising from about 3% in 2021 to about 7%-8% in 2023, and the largest interest rate hikes in decades.

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During the 2024 federal election, voters cited the economy as their most important issue. Americans flocked to the polls a year ago with their wallets top of mind, backing Trump on the ballot, with a majority of voters reporting they were concerned about not being able to afford food, health care, housing and gas for their cars, previously. Fox News Voter Analysis Data showed.