President Donald Trump attempted to highlight his commitment to fighting inflation when traveling through Pennsylvania on Tuesday, but he was unable to fully focus on the problem that has hurt his popularity.
The president said to the assembly at a Mount Pocono casino and resort that Democrats had exploited the term "affordability" as a "hoax" to damage his brand and that inflation was no longer an issue.
However, his comments veered widely to include complaints about why there aren't more Scandinavian immigrants in the United States, which he originally voiced behind closed doors during his first term in 2018 but then denied stating.
"Why is it we only take people from s-hole countries, right?" Onstage, Trump said. "Why can't we have some people from Norway, Sweden, just a few?"
According to Trump, he is against accepting immigration from "hellholes like Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia and many other countries." He emphasized that certain locations "are a disaster, right? It is filthy, unclean, repulsive, and full of criminal activity.
Despite being a formal White House event, Tuesday's gathering in the swing state and in a competitive House district appeared more like one of his iconic campaign rallies, which his chief of staff stated he will hold frequently in advance of the midterms next year.
However, it was hosted in a conference center ballroom at the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, a small town with roughly 3,000 residents, rather than in an arena that could accommodate several thousand people.
The White House has attempted to persuade Americans that the economy would improve next year and that any concerns about inflation are unrelated to Trump in the wake of the abysmal results for Republicans in last month's off-cycle elections.
To support his position, he presented a graphic that contrasted price rises under Joe Biden, his predecessor, with prices under his own administration.
However, since he announced wide tariffs in April, the rate of inflation has increased, causing many Americans to worry about their housing, electricity, and grocery prices.
"I have no higher priority than making America affordable again," Trump stated. "They caused the high prices and we're bringing them down."
As the president spoke, Miami voters elected Eileen Higgins as their first Democratic mayor in almost 30 years, highlighting the political weaknesses of his party. Emilio Gonzalez, a Republican supported by Trump, was beaten by Higgins.
Although the president's reception in the county where his rally was held on Tuesday demonstrated that he could still win over the base, it did not resolve concerns about his ability to maintain his coalition in 2024.
After supporting Biden in 2020, Monroe County switched to Trump last year, assisting the Republican in winning Pennsylvania, a swing state, and winning the presidency after a four-year break.
The county, which is home to the Pocono Mountains, has mostly relied on tourism for jobs related to hiking, hunting, skiing, and other activities. People looking for more cheap accommodation have also been drawn to it because of its close proximity to New York City less than two hours by vehicle.
Prices are a concern, according to everyone in Monroe County. However, there is no denying that inflation appears to be here to stay, even among Trump voters in Monroe County.
Lou Heddy, a retired maintenance technician who supported Trump last year, said he's not confident Trump can lower food prices because his and his wife's shopping bills have increased from $175 to $200 in only the last month.
"Once food costs rise, they never fall again. I simply feel that way. Heddy, 72, remarked, "I don't know how the hell he would do it."
However, Democratic voter Suzanne Vena, who suffers with growing expenses for food, rent, and power on a limited income, blames Trump's tariffs for making living more costly. She recalls Trump promising to curb inflation.
"That's what we were originally told," stated 66-year-old Vena. "Did I think it was true? That's a different question. I didn't. In the upcoming midterm elections, the region Trump visited may play a role in determining control of the House.
Trump's rally took place in the congressional district of first-term Republican Representative Rob Bresnahan, a prime target for Democrats. Democrat Paige Cognetti, the mayor of Scranton, is seeking the nomination to oppose him.
In front of Trump, Bresnahan told the audience that although the government was trying to cut expenses, people "aren't asking for partisan arguments they're asking for results."
If Monroe County voters are concerned about inflation, it's unclear if Trump will be able to inspire them to cast ballots in the upcoming election.
Nick Riley, 38, stated that he is cutting back on indulgences like dining out since he is struggling to locate a decent bargain on a secondhand automobile and is paying more for food and power.
Riley supported Trump in 2020, but he abstained from the 2024 election and intends to do so once more the following year. "Everybody is broke.
Whether you support Democrats or Republicans is irrelevant," Riley stated. "We're all broke, and we're all feeling it." Before the midterm elections, Trump will begin to host more rallies.
On the conservative talk show "The Mom View" on the internet, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles stated that Trump would travel on the campaign trail the following year to interact with supporters who might otherwise abstain from a congressional contest.
Wiles, who assisted in running Trump's 2024 campaign, stated that although most administrations want to keep the president out of the race and localize midterm elections, she plans to do the exact opposite.
"We're actually going to turn that on its head," Wiles stated, "and put him on the ballot because so many of those low-propensity voters are Trump voters."
Trump's task is to respond to people' worries about the economy while simultaneously asserting that it is experiencing a historic boom.
When asked how he would grade the economy on a Politico podcast, Trump initially gave the grade "A-plus," but later changed it to "A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus." Trump claims that although the economy is doing well, Americans ought to purchase less dolls.
With the stock market rising this year and overall growth appearing strong for the third quarter, the U.S. economy has demonstrated resiliency.
However, many Americans believe that their earnings are being eaten up by the costs of housing, groceries, education, electricity, and other necessities.
The Trump administration has stated that it anticipates this trend to change next year with increased investments in manufacturing and artificial intelligence.
The public's perception of Trump's economic success has been dubious thus far. According to a survey conducted in November by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, only 33% of American adults believe that Trump is handling the economy well.
However, Trump claimed that businesses like the steel industry were benefiting from his tariffs and other programs. He explicitly advised Americans to purchase less dolls and pencils from abroad after stating that those industries were important to the nation. "You don't need 37 dolls for your daughter," he declared to the assembly. "Two or three is nice."
