Trump’s speech on combating inflation turns to grievances about immigrants : NPR

MOUNT POCONO, Pa. – While traveling through Pennsylvania on Tuesday, President Donald Trump tried to emphasize his focus on fighting inflation, but the issue that has damaged his popularity failed to capture his full attention.

The president told the crowd gathered at a casino and resort in Mount Pocono that inflation was no longer an issue and that Democrats had used the term “affordability” as a “hoax” to damage his reputation. But his comments became wildly intertwined to include complaints he first raised behind closed doors in his first term in 2018, and later denied having said them, asking why the United States doesn’t have more immigrants from Scandinavia.

“Why do we only accept people from shithole countries, right?” Trump said on stage. “Why can’t we have some people from Norway, Sweden, just a few?”

Trump said he opposed accepting immigrants from “hellholes like Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia and many other countries.” He added to emphasize that these places “are a disaster, right? Disgusting, dirty, disgusting, riddled with crime.”

Tuesday’s rally in the swing state — and in a competitive House district — was an official White House event, but seemed more like one of his signature campaign rallies that his chief of staff said he would hold regularly ahead of next year’s midterm elections. But instead of being held in a stadium that could draw several thousand attendees, it was held in the ballroom of a conference center at the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, a small town of about 3,000 residents.

Voters begin to blame Republicans for long-lasting inflation

Following Republicans’ dismal results in last month’s off-cycle election, the White House has tried to convince voters that the economy will emerge stronger next year and that any anxiety about inflation has nothing to do with Trump.

He showed a graph comparing price increases under his predecessor, Joe Biden, to prices under his own watch to make his case. But the overall inflation rate has risen since he announced sweeping tariffs in April, leaving many Americans worried about their food, utility and housing bills.

“I have no higher priority than making America affordable again,” Trump said. “They caused the high prices and we are lowering them.”

As the president spoke, his party’s political vulnerabilities became even more apparent when Miami voters elected Eileen Higgins as their first Democratic mayor in nearly 30 years. Higgins defeated Trump-backed Republican Emilio González.

The president’s reception in the county hosting his rally Tuesday showed he can still appeal to the base, but could not resolve questions about whether he could keep his coalition together through 2024. Monroe County turned to Trump last year after backing Biden in 2020, helping the Republican 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 relied heavily on tourism for skiing, hiking, hunting and other activities as a source of employment. Its proximity to New York City (less than a two-hour drive) has also attracted people looking for more affordable housing.

In Monroe County, people agree that prices are a problem

But what seems undeniable – even to Trump supporters in Monroe County – is that inflation appears to be here to stay.

Lou Heddy, a retired maintenance mechanic who voted for Trump last year, said he’s noticed in the last month alone that his and his wife’s grocery bills have risen from $175 to $200, and he’s not sure Trump can lower food prices.

“Once food prices go up, they never go back down. That’s how I feel. I don’t know how the hell I would do it,” said Heddy, 72.

But Suzanne Vena, a Democratic voter, blames Trump’s tariffs for making life more expensive as she struggles with rising food, rent and electricity bills on a fixed income. Remember Trump said he would stop inflation.

“That’s what we were originally told,” Vena, 66, said. “Did I believe it? That’s another question. I didn’t believe it.”

The area Trump visited could help decide control of the House in next year’s midterm elections.

Trump held his rally in a congressional district controlled by Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan, a top target for Democrats. Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, a Democrat, is running for the nomination to challenge him.

Speaking to the crowd before Trump, Bresnahan said the administration was working to reduce costs, but voters “are not asking for partisan arguments, they are asking for results.”

It’s unclear whether Trump can motivate Monroe County voters to show up for next year’s election if they are worried about inflation.

Nick Riley, 38, said he is cutting back on luxuries such as eating out as he absorbs higher food and electricity bills and is having a hard time finding a good deal on a used car. Riley voted for Trump in 2020, but did not participate in the 2024 election and plans to do so again next year.

“We’re all broke. It doesn’t matter if you support Republicans or Democrats,” Riley said. “We’re all broke and we’re all sorry.”

Trump to start holding more rallies ahead of midterm elections

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said on the conservative online talk show “The Mom View” that Trump would be on the campaign trail next year to engage supporters who might otherwise be left out of 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.

“In fact, we’re going to turn that around,” Wiles said, “and put it on the ballot because a lot of those low propensity voters are Trump voters.”

The challenge for Trump is how to address voters’ concerns about the economy while also claiming that the economy is enjoying a historic boom.

When asked on a Politico podcast how he would rate the economy, Trump leaned toward rating inflation by answering “A-plus,” only to later modify his answer to “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus.”

Trump says economy is strong, but Americans should buy fewer dolls

The U.S. economy has shown signs of resilience: The stock market is up this year and overall growth looks strong for the third quarter. But many Americans find that the prices of housing, food, education, electricity and other basic needs are eating into their income, a dynamic that the Trump administration has said it hopes will fade next year with more investments in artificial intelligence and manufacturing.

So far, the public has been skeptical of Trump’s economic performance. Only 33% of American adults approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, according to a November poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

But Trump indicated that his tariffs and other policies were helping industries such as the steel sector. He said those industries were important to the country and then specifically told Americans that they should buy fewer pencils and dolls from abroad.

“You don’t need 37 dolls for your daughter,” he told the crowd. “Two or three is fine.”