Trump struggles to find his economic messaging amid voter skepticism

Danielle Kurtzleben

December 12, 2025 / 2:00 am

President Trump spent the week making a bold case about a booming US economy with even better times ahead, as his economic policies kick in. The problem for Trump is that polls show a wide swath of Americans aren't feeling that optimism yet - and in his initial attempts at addressing the cost of living, he called the affordability issue a Democratic "hoax."

Hoping to tackle the messaging disconnect, the White House rolled out a $12 billion farmer aid package and sent President Trump to Pennsylvania this week to make his case.

Trump has frequently shown himself a strong economic messenger - winning re-election in 2024 by lambasting Joe Biden's economy. But one year i

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