President Donald Trump took the stage in Pennsylvania on Tuesday night with one clear mission: reminding Americans what a real economy looks like — and according to him, it certainly didn’t come from the Democrats. After Democrats swept several 2025 races campaigning on “affordability,” Trump made it clear who actually caused the problem in the first place.
“They caused the high prices, and we're bringing them down,” Trump told the energetic crowd at a casino resort in Mount Pocono, where he spoke for nearly two hours. “Lower prices, bigger paychecks — you're getting lower prices, bigger paychecks… the stock market and your 401(k)s are the only things going up big.” And given what the last administration did to people’s savings, that line hit home fast.
Heading into the midterms, affordability has become Democrats’ favorite talking point — almost like they hope voters suddenly forgot the last few years. Trump, meanwhile, didn’t miss the chance to grade his own economy. Earlier that day he told Politico he’d give it an “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus.” But a recent Fox News national survey found 76% of voters see the economy negatively. Trump, unsurprisingly, took that as proof that voters still remember the mess he inherited.
To prove the contrast between his economy and Biden’s, Trump shared several statistics with voters. Real wages, he said, “plummeted” by $3,000 under Biden. Under Trump’s second administration, the typical factory worker has seen real wages rise by $1,300, construction workers by over $1,800, and miners by $3,300. Under Biden? Trump said construction worker wages actually fell by $3,500 — quite the achievement.
He also drove the point home with everyday prices. Citing Walmart, Trump said a full Thanksgiving meal is 25% cheaper under his administration than it was under Biden, and Thanksgiving turkeys specifically are down 33%. Then he added a classic Trump punchline: egg prices have “dropped like a rock,” falling 80% since March.
“One of the most important ways we're defeating inflation is by unleashing American energy, including oil, gas and clean beautiful coal,” Trump told the crowd. He pointed to data showing 22 states now have the lowest gas prices they’ve seen in the last seven years — with three states down to $1.99 per gallon. Hard to complain about affordability when gas is practically cheaper than bottled water.
Trump also highlighted lower mortgage rates, $18 trillion in new private investments compared to Biden’s less than $1 trillion, and a strong stock market as further proof his economic plan is working.
He didn’t hold back on mocking Democrats’ messaging. “I can't say affordability hoax because I agree the prices were too high… but they use the word affordability and everyone says, ‘Oh, that must mean Trump has high prices.’ No,” Trump said. “Our prices are coming down tremendously from the highest prices in the history of our country.” He compared Democrats talking about affordability to “Bonnie and Clyde preaching about public safety.” Subtle as always.
And while Democrats try selling slogans, Trump argued he doesn’t need to sell anything — because his policies speak for themselves. “We don't have to sell men in women's sports. We don't have to sell transgender to everybody. We don't have to sell open borders where the whole world is allowed to come into our country from prisons and everywhere,” he said. “They gave you high prices… and we're bringing those prices down rapidly.”
With confidence, data, and signature Trump sarcasm, the president made his message unmistakable: the economy is back on track — and moving in the right direction.
