Trump touts tax cuts and lower prices at Pennsylvania rally

MOUNT POCONO, Pennsylvania, Dec 9 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump was set to headline a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday to defend his economic record and try to counter voter anxiety over rising costs, as Republicans brace for a tough fight to hold control of Congress in next year’s midterm elections.

The campaign-style rally at a Mount Pocono casino in northeastern Pennsylvania will spotlight lower gasoline and egg prices and tax cuts passed this year. Trump will cast his tariff hikes and regulatory rollbacks as part of a broader effort to “rewire” the U.S. economy, a White House official said.

The president, in an excerpt from an interview with Politico released on Tuesday, was asked what grade he would give the economy. “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus,” he replied.

VOTER ANGST OVER PRICES

Nevertheless, the White House is grappling with voter angst about the economy, a vulnerability Democrats exploited in recent state and local election victories. Inflation has eased from recent highs, but many voters remain uneasy about housing, food, healthcare and childcare costs.

Trump, who campaigned in 2024 on a pledge to lower consumer prices, has grown frustrated that affordability concerns are dominating the political conversation.

“There’s this fake narrative that the Democrats talk about – affordability,” Trump complained at a cabinet meetin...