Trump says Americans are 'gaining tremendously' from tariffs as he scrambles to combat criticism of the economy | Fortune

"White House officials and others familiar with their thinking requested anonymity to speak for this article in order to not get ahead of the president's actions. They stressed that affordability has always been a priority for Trump, but the president plans to talk about it more, as he did Thursday when he announced that Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk would reduce the price of their anti-obesity drugs."

""We are the ones that have done a great job on affordability, not the Democrats," Trump said at an event in the Oval Office to announce the deal. "We just lost an election, they said, based on affordability. It's a con job by the Democrats." The White House is keeping up a steady drumbeat of posts on social media about prices and deals for Thanksgiving dinner staples at retailers such as Walmart, Lidl, Aldi and Target."

"The messaging is centered around affordability, and the push comes after inflation emerged as a major vulnerability for Trump and Republicans in Tuesday's elections, in which voters overwhelmingly said the economy was their biggest concern. Democrats took advantage of concerns about affordability to run up huge margins in the New Jersey and Virginia governor races, flipping what had been a strength for Trump in the 2024 presidential election into a vulnerability going into next year's midterm elections."

Messaging has shifted to center on affordability after inflation emerged as a major vulnerability for Trump and Republicans in recent elections, with voters naming the economy their top concern. Democrats exploited affordability worries to win large margins in New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races, turning a 2024 strength into a midterm liability. White House officials say affordability is a priority and the president plans to emphasize it more, highlighted by announcements about lowered prices for anti-obesity drugs. The administration is promoting retail price deals on social media, even as inflation metrics have worsened since April amid tariff changes.

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