Analysis—13-letter words tripping Trump

By Tim Reid, Nandita Bose and Nathan Lane

WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s repeated derision of the word “affordability” has worried Republican strategists, who say the fixation could undermine White House efforts to reassure Americans about the cost of living – a top voter concern in next year’s congressional elections.

Those fears were underscored during Trump’s speech to supporters in Pennsylvania on Tuesday night. The White House billed it as the first in a series of speeches by the president to address criticism that he did not pay enough attention to voters who say they are struggling with high prices.

Instead, the 90-minute speech attacked the term “affordability,” which Trump derided as a “hoax” for exaggerating the cost of living. While he admitted prices were high, he said the economy was growing and people were taking home more pay.

But Republican strategists told Reuters the president should stop fixating on the word “deal” and instead focus on presenting a clear plan to lower prices.

“Repeating this claim that affordability ignores what’s going on in our economy,” said Republican consultant Jason Cabell Rowe. “He certainly needs to do better.”

Government data shows job growth has slowed in Trump’s second term, unemployment has hit its highest level in four years and consumer prices are high. Overall, economic growth has moderated somewhat after the economy contracted slightly in the first quarter of the year.

White House defends Trump on affordability

The person, who speaks regularly with top Trump aides and spoke on condition of anonymity to speak more freely about the message, said some of those aides agreed the president needed to talk more about the domestic economy, especially before next November’s midterm elections, in which Republicans hold control of both houses of Congress.

Two White House officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, denied that Trump’s dismissive comments about affordability made him appear out of touch with the struggles of ordinary Americans, though they acknowledged that some Republican lawmakers had complaints.

White House spokesman Kush Desai defended Trump’s focus on the economy, calling the rally a “reminder for everyday Americans that the Trump administration has prioritized affordability.”

Trump’s approval rating rose to 41% in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll as he rolled back some tariffs on food imports and talked more about fighting inflation. But his approval rating on Cost of Living was only 31%.

Officials say Trump will hit the road in the new year to campaign for Republican candidates and to tout the success of his economic policies. Trump says tax cuts and tax cuts on foreign goods will put more money in the pockets of American families.

Speaking to reporters and technology executives at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said Democrats keep talking about affordability, but “they never discuss it. They just talk about affordability. Well, it might very well be, I think it’s about the border.”

Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro posted on social media that Trump used his speech to “tell Pennsylvanians not to believe what they can see with their own two eyes — the skyrocketing cost of living and rising prices at the grocery store.”

Opinion polls show the cost of living is a top concern of voters and has contributed to a string of recent Democratic electoral victories.

Independent, moderate voters will be decisive

Addressing the rally, Trump blamed high prices on his Democratic predecessor, former President Joe Biden, saying “making America affordable again is not a higher priority.”

It’s an important message to send to voters, said longtime Republican operative John Feehery, but tone matters.

“It’s very hard to tell people they’re OK when they’re not feeling well,” Feehery said.

Charlie Gero, a Pennsylvania-based Republican strategist, said Tuesday that Trump’s remarks would sound “hollow” to moderates and independents, an influential voting bloc that Trump will need to win over if his party is to keep control of Congress.

Republicans currently have slim majorities in both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate.

“He needs to stay laser-focused on the economy,” Gero said. Detouring into topics like transgender rights and wind turbines, as he did Tuesday, “doesn’t help,” he added.

Richard Hudson, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Trump will have an important role to play next year as the party’s chief economic messenger.

“He’s the most effective messenger we have,” Hudson told Reuters.

(Reporting by Tim Reid, Nandita Bose, Trevor Hunnicutt, Nathan Lane, David Morgan and Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Ross Colvin and Leslie Adler)