Trump to Test New Message at Rally     12/09 06:21

   President Donald Trump will road-test his claims that he's tackling 
Americans' affordability woes at a Tuesday rally in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania 
-- shifting an argument made in Oval Office appearances and social media posts 
to a campaign-style event.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump will road-test his claims that 
he's tackling Americans' affordability woes at a Tuesday rally in Mount Pocono, 
Pennsylvania -- shifting an argument made in Oval Office appearances and social 
media posts to a campaign-style event.

   The trip comes as polling consistently shows that public trust in Trump's 
economic leadership has faltered. Following dismal results for Republicans in 
last month's off-cycle elections, the White House has sought to convince voters 
that the economy will emerge stronger next year and that any anxieties over 
inflation have nothing to do with Trump.

   The president has consistently blamed his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, 
for inflation even as his own aggressive implementation of policies has pushed 
up prices that had been settling down after spiking in 2022 to a four-decade 
high. Inflation began to accelerate after Trump announced his sweeping 
"Liberation Day" tariffs in April. Companies warned that the import taxes could 
be passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices and reduced hiring, 
yet Trump continues to insist that inflation has faded.

   "We're bringing prices way down," Trump said at the White House on Monday. 
"You can call it 'affordability' or anything you want -- but the Democrats 
caused the affordability problem and we're the ones that are fixing it."

   The president's reception in the county hosting his Tuesday rally could give 
a signal of just how much voters trust his claims. Monroe County flipped to 
Trump in the 2024 election after having backed Biden in 2020, helping the 
Republican to win the swing state of Pennsylvania and return to the White House 
after a four-year hiatus.

   As home to the Pocono Mountains, the county has largely relied on tourism 
for skiing, hiking, hunting and other activities as a source of jobs. Its 
proximity to New York City -- under two hours by car -- has also attracted 
people seeking more affordable housing.

   It's also an area that could help decide control of the House in next year's 
midterm elections.

   Trump is holding his rally in a congressional district held by freshman 
Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan, who is a top target of Democrats and won his 
2024 race by about 1.5 percentage points, among the nation's closest. Scranton 
Mayor Paige Cognetti, a Democrat, is running for the nomination to challenge 
him.

   White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said on the online conservative talk 
show "The Mom View" that Trump would be on the "campaign trail" next year to 
engage supporters who otherwise might sit out a congressional race.

   Wiles, who helped manage Trump's 2024 campaign, said most administrations 
try to localize midterm elections and keep the president out of the race, but 
she intends to do the opposite of that.

   "We're actually going to turn that on its head," Wiles said, "and put him on 
the ballot because so many of those low-propensity voters are Trump voters."

   Wiles added, "So I haven't quite broken it to him yet, but he's going to 
campaign like it's 2024 again."

   Trump has said he's giving consumers relief by relaxing fuel efficiency 
standards for autos and signing agreements to reduce list prices on 
prescription drugs.

   Trump has also advocated for cuts to the Federal Reserve's benchmark 
interest rate -- which influences the supply of money in the U.S. economy. He 
argues that would reduce the cost of mortgages and auto loans, although critics 
warn that cuts of the scale sought by Trump could instead worsen inflation.

   The U.S. economy has shown signs of resilience with the stock market up this 
year and overall growth looking solid for the third quarter. But many Americans 
see the prices of housing, groceries, education, electricity and other basic 
needs as swallowing up their incomes, a dynamic that the Trump administration 
has said it expects to fade next year with more investments in artificial 
intelligence and manufacturing.

   Since the November elections where Democrats won key races with a focus on 
kitchen-table issues, Trump has often dismissed the concerns about prices as a 
"hoax" and "con job" to suggest that he bears no responsibility for inflation, 
even though he campaigned on his ability to quickly bring down prices. Just 33% 
of U.S. adults approve of Trump's handling of the economy, according to a 
November survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.