President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance are set to tout the administration's economic policies, and Vance appears to be playing the long game by countering Democrats' effective “affordability” messaging.
Trump visited Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, kicking off a yearlong tour of the country to ease voters' concerns about the economy. The affordability crisis has been a major focus for the GOP heading into the midterm year following some key victories for Democrats campaigning on the issue.
Vance, who is scheduled to appear in Allentown, Pennsylvania, next Tuesday, typically acknowledges voters' difficulties when talking about the economy and asks for patience as the administration works to make things more affordable. Trump, by contrast, has shown frustration with Americans' feelings on the issue, opinion polls show. continue to show voters that he is not satisfied with the way he is managing the economy. (RELATED: Trump defends focus on foreign policy, says those who complain probably aren't his supporters)
“I inherited a MESS from the Biden Administration – the worst inflation in history and the highest prices our country has ever seen. In other words, affordability just 13 months ago was a DISASTER for the American people, but things are completely different now! Prices are falling FAST, energy, oil and gasoline are hitting 5-year lows, and the stock market just hit an all-time high today. Tariffs are making a profit. Hundreds of billions of dollars, and we're back again respected as a nation,” Trump wrote in a Thursday message to TruthSocial.
“When will I get credit for creating, absent inflation, perhaps the greatest economy in the history of our country? When will people realize what's going on? When will the public opinion polls reflect how great America is now and how bad it was just a year ago?” he added.
Although the President has written repeatedly about the affordability crisis and answered questions, the Vice President for Economic Affairs' first extensive remarks came on November 20 in a fireside chat with Breitbart News. Vance asked voters for patience before repeating some of the key points made by the president, namely that Democrats are responsible for Americans' pain.
“I would ask the American people for a little patience. This economy hasn't suffered in 10 months,” Vance said. “And while we've made so much progress, it will take a little time for every American to experience the economic boom that we truly believe is coming.”
When it comes to the economy, the President and Vice President have largely come to the same conclusion. Both highlight the strength of the economy and how their administration has made things more affordable. The duo also called the Democrats' campaign to make goods more affordable a “hoax,” arguing that it was the party that made things difficult.
But Vance acknowledged that they had not yet achieved complete success and refused to ignore American dissatisfaction.
“My message to the American people who still feel like things are still unaffordable, who still feel like things are bad out there, is this: Look, we get it, we hear you and we know there's still a lot of work to be done,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot of wood to cut because the Biden administration has put us in a very, very difficult position.”
Joe Biden's insane policies have resulted in American families being unable to afford a decent life in their own country.
Through tax cuts, higher-paying jobs and investment in American industry, President Trump is taking steps to make America affordable again for working families. https://t.co/XuynesfyEN
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance) December 10, 2025
Vance's acknowledgment that the situation still needs to improve seemed tonally different from Trump's more defensive stance on the issue, as the president called people who question how much time he spends abroad “stupid” and suggested such complaints were not coming from his supporters. He vacillated between telling Americans, “You're doing better than ever,” and assuring that prices would continue to fall throughout his presidency.
Trump has long been proud of his economic success, especially during his first term. It is known that Vance was born into a difficult and poor childhood in the Midwest.
A White House spokesman told the Daily Caller there was no conflict between Trump and Vance's message.
“Even [Trump] stressed that there is still a lot to be done, but our policies have a proven track record – just take a look [the] Trump's first term is why they've made a lot of progress and will continue to do so,” the official told the Caller.
During the first stop of his tour, Trump, after touting the prices his administration has cut and the current strength of the economy, did acknowledge that much work remains to be done.
Before his softer tone during the tour, Vance seemed to echo the president's frustrations with American sentiment about the economy.
“I think I would definitely say voters are impatient. I think voters have every right to be impatient,” Vice President marked. “We're impatient, too, and we're going to see if what we're doing and what we think we should be doing matches up with what the voters think we should be doing.”
President Donald Trump dances after delivering a speech on the economy at the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, December 9, 2025. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump most often takes an aggressive tone. At his last cabinet meeting, he blamed the media for raising concerns about the economy.
“When you talk about affordability … do you think the American people are impatient with the reforms you're putting in place?” asked Fox Business White House correspondent Edward Lawrence during a Cabinet meeting.
“I think they're getting fake news from guys like you. Affordability is a hoax. It was started by the Democrats who caused the pricing problems. And they didn't put a stop to it,” Trump said, going on to talk about how he was elected because affordability was an issue.
“So we're lowering prices. Much lower. Beef is falling now. We've done some magic. Beef is falling. We inherited terrible prices. We inherited really the worst, again, worst inflation in history. We inherited this. When I came in, this was what he had, and we fixed inflation. And we fixed almost everything, if you want to know the truth, including eight wars. We're left with one, including eight wars,” the president continued.
Kevin Hassett, the White House's chief economic adviser, also addressed Americans' concerns, emphasizing that Trumponomics will work.
“We understand that people realize when they look in their wallets and go to the grocery store that they still have work to do,” Hassett. said.
In an interview with Politico published Tuesday, the president gave himself an “A plus plus plus plus plus plus” on the economy.
“The word 'affordability' is a Democratic scam,” Trump said. for his last cabinet meeting.
