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Another bright spot: gas prices. According to AAA, the national average has slid below the $3 per-gallon mark — something the country hasn’t seen since 2021. The figure is not only lower than today’s costs in 2023 and 2024, but also well below the median prices seen across the Biden era. For millions of Americans, lower fuel costs translate into direct, immediate relief.
Meanwhile, new data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows U.S. GDP growth hitting its strongest stretch since the third quarter of 2023. Much of the progress stems from higher consumer spending, reinforcing the idea that Americans are cautiously regaining financial stability.
The poll also revealed Trump’s disapproval rating, which stands at 53 percent — but even so, the administration is pushing forward with an aggressive message countering the Democrats’ sudden re-branding as the party of “affordability.” Trump argues this talking point only emerged after years of Democrats ignoring skyrocketing prices under Joe Biden.
During a Cabinet meeting last week, Trump made his stance unmistakably clear: “Our prices now for energy, for gasoline, are really low. Electricity is coming down. And when that comes down, everything comes down,” he said. “The word affordability is a Democrat scam. Affordability is a hoax that was started by Democrats who caused the problem of pricing.”
Trump is buttressing that message with real policy moves aimed at reducing costs. Recently, he scrapped Biden-era emissions standards that were expected to increase manufacturing costs and raise car prices. In another major shift, he ordered pharmaceutical companies to lower the cost of prescription drugs while rolling out TrumpRx, a streamlined White House portal designed to eliminate expensive “third-party” middlemen.
The administration is also touting a domestic policy package enacted in July that delivers tax breaks on tips, overtime income, and Social Security earnings — all scheduled to take effect next year.
This week, Trump is launching what the White House calls his “affordability tour,” a nationwide push to highlight falling prices and reinforce that his administration, not Democrats, is responsible for the recent economic improvements. According to the New York Post, “He will kick off his economics-focused tour at a casino in northeastern Pennsylvania Tuesday, where he is expected to tout lower gas prices, his role securing $100 billion in energy and artificial intelligence investments for the Keystone State and his approval for Japanese investment in US Steel.”
Democrats, sensing an opportunity in the messaging war, are attempting to rebrand themselves as champions of cost-of-living concerns ahead of the November congressional elections. Axios reported that Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are now emphasizing worries about housing, healthcare, food, and energy — the very issues Republicans say Democrats ignored for years.
Schumer even posted a video on Instagram splicing images of Trump discussing affordability during last year’s campaign, mixing them with clips of Trump calling the issue a “Democrat hoax.”
GOP strategist Dennis Lennox told the Post that voters haven’t yet fully felt the tangible benefits of the administration’s economic improvements. “They’re hearing constant headlines about white-collar job losses from AI. They don’t yet feel the full impact of declining inflation. And when they look at their paychecks, wages haven’t risen as quickly as they expected,” he explained. “The disconnect between what the administration is advancing and what voters are feeling in real time is driving much of the current frustration.”
As Trump doubles down on his affordability message, the political battle over the economy is intensifying — and with approval numbers beginning to shift, the narrative is clearly far from settled.
