Trump cites cheaper groceries, gas as he pushes back on Democrats’ message on affordability

President Donald Trump was in Pennsylvania Tuesday night to tout his administration’s economic success, after Democrats won a series of runoff elections in 2025 while campaigning primarily on platforms focused on “affordability.”

“They’re causing the prices to be high, and we’re bringing them down,” Trump told the crowd at a casino in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, with whom he spoke for nearly two hours. “Lower prices, higher wages – you get lower prices, higher wages, we have inflation – we crush it – and you get much higher wages. The only thing that goes up really big – it’s called the stock market and your 401ks.”

Affordability has become a hot spot heading into the midterm elections, with Republicans now sharpening their messaging on the economy after a slew of Democrats won elections in 2025 by running on a platform focused on cutting costs. Before Tuesday night’s speech in Pennsylvania, Trump told Politico in an interview that he would give his economy an “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus” grade, but a Fox News national survey in November found that about 76% of voters said they had a negative view of the economy, compared to 67% who said the same in July and compared to 70% who said the same at the end of former President Joe Biden’s term.

Trump insists prices are ‘going down,’ blames Biden – but voters say they’re still in a hurry.

Real wages were among many statistics Trump shared with voters Tuesday to prove how much better the economy is under him than under Biden. According to Trump, real wages “fell” by $3,000 under Biden, while under Trump’s second administration, the president said, the typical factory worker saw his or her real wage increase by $1,300, construction workers’ real wages increased by more than $1,800, and miners’ real wages increased by $3,300. Trump added that under Biden, real wages for construction workers fell by $3,500.

To put things in perspective for the audience, Trump also addressed the price of everyday goods and shared with the audience graphs showing the differences between prices during his predecessor’s tenure. Citing a Walmart report, Trump said the cost of a full Thanksgiving meal, toppings, turkey and all, was 25% cheaper under his administration than under Biden. He said the price of Thanksgiving turkeys is also down 33%.

Trump added that egg prices have “dropped like a rock” during his second term, noting that their prices have fallen 80% since March.

TRUMP APPROVAL CLIMBING AS REPUBLICANS RALLY BEHIND PRESIDENT’S AFFORDABILITY AGENDA: POLL

“One of the most important ways to beat inflation is to unleash American energy, including clean oil, gas and coal,” Trump also said, citing data that he said shows 22 different states have lower gas prices today than they have at any time in the last seven years. Three of them, Trump noted, offer gasoline for as little as $1.99 a gallon.

President Donald Trump touted lower prices for everyday consumer goods during his speech in Pennsylvania on Tuesday evening. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images, iStock)

Trump also touted falling mortgage rates under his administration, $18 trillion in new private investment compared to less than $1 trillion for Biden and a booming stock market as examples of his economy’s good health.

“I can’t call it an affordability hoax because I agree the prices were too high. I can’t call it a hoax because they’re going to misinterpret that. But they use the word affordability and that’s their only word,” Trump said in bashing Democrats on the economy Tuesday night. “They say ‘affordability’ and everyone says, ‘Oh, that must mean Trump has high prices.’ No. Our prices have dropped significantly from the highest prices in our nation’s history. »

Trump added during his Tuesday night speech that Democrats talking about affordability “is like Bonnie and Clyde preaching about public safety.”

Then-President Joe Biden speaks to guests at Ingeteam Inc., an electrical equipment manufacturer, August 15, 2023 in Milwaukee. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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Meanwhile, amid his jabs at Democrats over their “affordable” message, Trump asserted that he doesn’t have to “sell” his administration’s policies to anyone because they are “the right policy.”

“We don’t need to sell out men in women’s sports. We don’t need to sell out transgender people to everyone. We don’t need to sell out open borders where the whole world is allowed to come into our country from prisons and everywhere,” Trump told the crowd. “That’s our message. They imposed high prices on you. They imposed the highest inflation on you in history. And we assure you that we reduce these prices quickly. »

Emma Colton of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.