With the midterms looming, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are barnstorming the country to sell their economic agenda — and Vance, ever the strategist, seems determined to blunt Democrats’ most effective talking point: affordability.
Trump launched the tour Tuesday in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, kicking off a year-long push to ease voter anxiety over the economy, an issue Democrats have hammered relentlessly after a string of wins built almost entirely on pocketbook politics. Vance will follow next week with a stop in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he’ll continue the administration’s effort to reclaim the narrative.
While Trump vents frustration at Americans’ persistent pessimism — especially as polls still don’t reflect the economic progress the White House insists is real — Vance has taken a more patient, empathetic tack. It’s a good cop–good cop routine, but with very different styles.
On TruthSocial, Trump laid out the story as he sees it:
“I inherited a MESS… Worst Inflation in History, Highest Prices ever… Prices are coming down FAST… Stock Market at an All Time High… Tariffs bringing in Hundreds of Billions… When will I get credit?”
It’s classic Trump: results-driven, blunt, and fed up with a media environment determined to downplay his success.
Vance, meanwhile, has opted for a softer — but no less pointed — approach. His first major remarks on the economy came during a fireside chat with Breitbart News on Nov. 20, where he asked Americans for something politicians rarely request: patience.
“This economy was not harmed in 10 months,” Vance said. “We’ve made progress, but it’s going to take time for everyone to feel that economic boom.”
The vice president’s message is simple: Democrats broke it, Trump and Vance are fixing it, and rebuilding takes time.
Both leaders make the same broader argument — the economy is strengthening, prices are stabilizing, and Democrats screaming “affordability” are selling a hoax of their own making. But Vance has been more willing to concede the obvious: people are still struggling, and the administration’s work isn’t finished.
“We get it… we hear you… there’s a lot of work to do,” he told voters.
That tone stands in contrast to Trump’s more combative posture. The president has called critics “stupid” for complaining about travel, has mocked media narratives on the economy, and regularly blasts the press as the primary driver of economic pessimism.
During a recent cabinet meeting, Trump dismissed a Fox Business question on voter impatience:
“They are getting fake news from guys like you. Affordability is a hoax… We inherited horrible prices, worst inflation in history. We fixed inflation. We fixed almost everything — including eight wars!”
Economic adviser Kevin Hassett echoed the administration’s stance, acknowledging ongoing hardship while insisting “Trumponomics” is delivering results.
And despite the media’s relentless badgering, Trump remains supremely confident in his economic stewardship — awarding himself an “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus” grade in a Politico interview.
The White House insists there’s no contradiction between Trump’s bullishness and Vance’s humility.
“Even Trump has stressed that there’s more work to do,” a White House official told the Daily Caller. “Our policies have a proven track record… and will continue to do so.”
Vance himself hasn’t hidden his own impatience — or the public’s.
“Voters have every right to be impatient,” he said. “We’re impatient too.”
But unlike Democrats, who claim the word “affordability” like it’s a trademarked slogan, Vance is trying to get ahead of the narrative before it morphs into the Left’s midterm battering ram.
