President Donald Trump claimed to have “won affordability” during an economic address in the battleground state of Georgia.
Trump made the claim while touting the private sector investment his administration has secured during a visit to Georgia’s 14th Congressional District ahead of a special election to replace former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
“I have to listen to the fake news talking about affordability. Affordability,” Trump told crowd gathered at Coosa Steel Corporation in Rome, Georgia. “You notice, what word have you not heard over the last two weeks? Affordability, Because I’ve won, I’ve won affordability. I had to go out and talk about it.”
Trump cited last month’s inflation report, which found that consumer prices in January rose year-over-year by 2.4%, a decrease from December’s annualized rate of 2.7%.
“We inherited a mess,” the president said. “Under the last administration, every economic policy punished American workers and businesses like this one while rewarding those who outsource to foreign nations.”
Under the Trump administration, our policy is the exact opposite, making it harder to outsource, while rewarding those who invest, hire, grow, and build right here in the USA,” he added.
Trump’s comments reflect greater confidence from the president and his aides regarding the economy, particularly after last week’s jobs report showed nonfarm payroll positions increased by 130,000 in January, well above expectations of 55,000. Last month’s unemployment rate was also 4.3%.
The data helps Trump, who told NBC News during the traditional presidential pre-Super Bowl interview earlier this month that he now owns the economy.
“You said you inherited a mess from President Biden when it comes to the economy. But at what point is it on you? At what point are we in the Trump economy?” NBC News anchor Tom Llamas asked Trump.
“Oh, I’d say we’re there now,” the president replied.
At the same time, nine months before this November’s midterm elections, polling finds that Trump’s economic approval rating averages net negative 15 percentage points, and his inflation counterpart is net negative 25 points, according to RealClearPolitics.
Although Trump appears confident in his economic policies, he has appeared less confident about his message, telling reporters last month during a press conference for the first anniversary of his second term complained about “bad public relations people.”
This week, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff James Blair, and Trump Cabinet officials gathered at the private Capitol Hill Club to discuss their strategy for the midterm elections.
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“I think the question we’re going to put to the American people is, do you want to give the government back over to the people who, frankly, burned down the house and made most Americans much less wealthy and much less safe? Or do you want to double down on the president’s leadership?” Vice President JD Vance told Fox News this week.