WASHINGTON ‒ President Donald Trump is taking his economic message on the road as Democrats turn up the heat on the issue a year out from the 2026 midterm elections ‒ while some Republicans say he has taken his eye off the ball.

Trump's speech Dec. 9 at the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania comes as the White House and Republicans struggle with their response to affordability concerns of Americans. The working-class town sits in a swing congressional district and adjacent to another, in a battleground state that has could determine control of the House next year.

Democrats have overperformed in elections across the country as they run on a message of affordability ahead of the midterms. A poll from Politico last week found 46% of Americans ‒ including 37% of Trump voters ‒ believe the cost of living in the United States is the worst they can remember.

Trump has continued to say costs are down, even though year-over-year inflation in 2025 is slightly up compared to 2024. The two-term Republican has also pointed to inflation that peaked under his predecessor, former President Joe Biden.

"We inherited a total mess from the Biden administration," Trump said on Dec. 8 as he discussed a new $12 federal bailout for farmers. "The Democrats caused the affordability problem, and we're the ones that are fixing it."

Trump later added: "Inflation is essentially gone. We have it normalized. And it will go down even further."

Despite Trump's effort to downplay economic concerns, Wilkes University political science professor Kyle Kreider said the president's trip is a sign that Republicans are worried about the midterm elections. Trump hasn't "focused his attention on affordability, inflation, and the economic angst felt by most Americans," Kreider said.

Some Republicans have accused Trump of focusing too much on foreign policy and not enough on domestic issues.

"I would really like to see nonstop meetings at the WH on domestic policy not foreign policy and foreign country’s leaders," Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on social media last month amid a rift with Trump that eventually saw her resign from Congress.

The president has been talking more about cost-of-living concerns since Democrats rode the issue to a string of victories in off-year elections last month, including winning governor's races in New Jersey and Virginia. He has often complained about Democrats' framing of the issue, calling it a "con job."

"Trump and his administration are dismissing Americans’ concerns," Democratic National Committee Communications Director Rosemary Boeglin said in a statement, adding: "Meanwhile, everyday Americans are stretching their paychecks further and further to make ends meet."

In choosing Northeast Pennsylvania to try and counter Democrats messaging on the economy, Trump is heading to a state and region that could be critical to the 2026 midterm battle, and targeting a demographic that has been a key part of his coalition.

Pennsylvania has four GOP-held House seats that are considered at least somewhat competitive by the nonpartisan political handicapping firm Inside Elections, including the eighth congressional district where Mount Pocono is located and the nearby seventh district.

Trump made gains in blue collar Northeast Pennsylvania "based largely on his economic populist message," Kreider said. Those types of voters could be key for Republicans in their bid to maintain GOP control of the House.

Republicans are touting consumer bright spots, such as declining gas prices.

White House Spokesman Kush Desai said that although "much work remains," Trump will be "highlighting the meaningful progress that his Administration has made" on economic issues.

Democrats, meanwhile, say Trump is making things worse with tariffs and other policies, a tug of war that will continue until Election Day next year.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump economy could be election liability. Can he sell it in PA trip?

Reporting by Zac Anderson and Joey Garrison, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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