President Donald Trump addressed a rally in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday night, casting Democratic warnings about high living costs as a partisan 'hoax' while insisting his administration is bringing prices down. He highlighted job gains for American workers and what he described as 'reverse migration,' even as polling shows many voters remain dissatisfied with the economy.
At a rally held at the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pa., on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump spoke at length, moving between economic boasts and familiar grievances, according to an NPR report by Tamara Keith and Michel Martin and separate coverage by The Daily Wire.
Banners on the stage read "lower prices, bigger paychecks," underscoring Trump's effort to frame his administration as focused on affordability.
Trump told the crowd that Democrats were to blame for high prices and that his administration was reversing the trend. "They caused the high prices, and we're bringing them down. It's a simple message," he said, according to NPR's account of the event. He also mocked the focus on "affordability," calling it a new Democratic "hoax," a line NPR reported as part of his attempt to downplay concerns about the cost of living.
The president repeatedly linked economic concerns to immigration. As reported by The Daily Wire, he claimed that before he took office, "100% of all new net jobs were going to migrant workers," and that, since he took office, "100% of all net job creation has gone to American citizens." He did not present data to support this assertion, and mainstream labor statistics do not break down net job creation in that way.
Trump further credited what he called "reverse migration"—which he described as more people leaving the United States than entering—for shifting jobs to American citizens. "For the first time in 50 years, we now have reverse migration, which means more jobs, better wages, and higher income for American citizens, not for illegal aliens," he said, according to The Daily Wire. Independent demographic data have not substantiated a sustained nationwide trend of more people leaving the U.S. than arriving over that period, and migration patterns remain contested among researchers.
Trump also asserted that "more Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country," a familiar boast that draws on the fact that overall employment has risen over time alongside population growth. Economists generally note that record employment levels in absolute terms can coincide with ongoing concerns about wage growth and cost of living.
Throughout the speech, Trump highlighted the stock market and retirement accounts as evidence of economic strength, praising rising stock indexes and 401(k) balances, while acknowledging that not all Americans are invested in the market. These themes echoed his broader messaging about pre-existing tax cuts and deregulation; according to NPR, he used the Pennsylvania appearance largely to reiterate his economic record rather than to unveil significant new policy proposals.
The rally marked the first stop on a tour promoting his administration's economic record as Washington heads into midterm election season, The Daily Wire reported, noting that Republicans are seeking to counter Democratic attacks over high prices and affordability.
Polling, however, indicates persistent public unease about the economy. NPR cited survey data showing that many Americans remain unhappy with high prices and skeptical of the president's handling of inflation, even as he insists conditions are improving. Other public polls in recent months have likewise found that a substantial share of voters rate the economy negatively and name rising prices as a top concern.
Democratic officials have seized on that discontent. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and other Democrats have criticized Trump for, in their view, minimizing the strain of higher grocery, housing and energy costs on families, arguing that his rhetoric about a "hoax" ignores the daily reality for many constituents.
In media interviews surrounding the speech, Trump has continued to give his own economic management top marks, describing his performance as an "A-plus" and blaming Democrats, including President Joe Biden, for the run-up in inflation earlier in the decade. Economists generally attribute the spike in U.S. inflation to a mix of pandemic-era supply disruptions, strong consumer demand and policy choices by both the Trump and Biden administrations, followed by a decline from peak inflation rates as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates.
Conservative media outlets have amplified this framing. A segment highlighted by The Daily Wire described a CNBC panel that placed primary responsibility for the current affordability squeeze on Biden, pointing to price increases over his tenure and arguing that many households are still feeling the effects of cumulative inflation even as year-over-year inflation has eased.
Trump and his allies have used such commentary to argue that, despite voter frustration, their policies have laid the groundwork for lower inflation and stronger job growth, while Democrats counter that his dismissive language about affordability shows he is out of touch with the economic pressures many Americans face.
