JD Vance beats Democrats’ biggest weapon in midterms

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are hitting the road to tout the administration’s economic policies, and Vance appears to be playing the long game in combatting the Democrats’ effective “affordable” message.

Trump visited Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, beginning a yearlong tour across the country to ease voters’ concerns about the economy. The affordability crisis has been a priority for the Republican Party heading into its midterm year, following some key victories for Democrats who campaigned on the issue.

Vance, who is scheduled to appear in Allentown, Pa., next Tuesday, generally acknowledged voters’ struggles when talking about the economy and asked for patience as the administration works to make things more affordable. Trump, on the other hand, has shown frustration with Americans’ feelings on the issue, as polls continue to show voters are dissatisfied with his handling of the economy. (RELATED: Trump Defends Focusing on Foreign Policy, Says Those Who Complain Probably Aren’t His Supporters)

“I inherited a disaster 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 now it’s completely different! Prices are falling FAST, energy, oil and gasoline are at five-year lows, and the stock market just hit an all-time high today. tariffs bring in hundreds of billions of dollars, and we are respected again as a nation,” Trump wrote in an article published Thursday on TruthSocial.

“When will I get credit for creating, without inflation, perhaps the greatest economy in our nation’s history? When will people understand what’s happening? When will the polls reflect how great America is now, and how bad it was just a year ago?” he added.

While the president has repeatedly published articles and answered questions about the affordability crisis, the vice president’s first in-depth remarks on the economy came during a Nov. 20 fireside chat with Breitbart News. Vance asked voters to be patient before repeating some key points from the speech that the president hammered home, namely that Democrats are responsible for Americans’ pain.

“What I would ask of the American people is a little patience. This economy hasn’t been hurt in 10 months,” Vance said. “And despite all the progress we’ve made, it will take some time for every American to feel this economic boom that we are convinced is coming.”

The president and vice president largely sent the same message when talking about the economy. Both point to the strength of the economy and how their administration has made things more affordable. The duo also called Democrats’ campaign to make things more affordable a “hoax,” arguing that it was the party that made things so difficult.

But Vance acknowledged that they have not yet achieved total success and refused to ignore Americans’ discontent.

“My message to the American people who still feel like things are unaffordable, who still feel like things are tough out there, is: Look, we understand, we hear you, and we know there’s a lot of work to be done,” he said. “There’s a lot of wood to cut because the Biden administration has put us in a very, very difficult situation.”

Joe Biden’s insane policies have left American families unable to afford to live decently in their own country.

Through tax cuts, better-paying jobs, and investments in American manufacturing, President Trump is making America affordable again for working families, step by step. https://t.co/XuynesfyFR

– JD Vance (@JDVance) December 10, 2025

Vance’s admission that things still need to improve seems different from Trump’s more defensive stance on the issue, as the president has called those who question how much time he spends abroad “stupid” and suggested that such complaints don’t come from his supporters. He hesitated between telling Americans: “You are doing better than ever” and reassuring that prices will continue to fall throughout his presidency.

Trump has long taken pride in his economic success, particularly during his first term. Vance famously came from a difficult and poor childhood in the Midwest.

A White House official told the Daily Caller there was no contradiction between Trump’s message and Vance’s.

“Even [Trump] stressed that there is still work to be done, but our policies have proven themselves – just see [the] first term of Trump — that’s why they’ve made great progress and will continue to do so,” the official told the caller.

During the first stop of his tour, Trump, after touting his administration’s lower prices and the current strength of the economy, admitted that there was still work to be done.

Before his softer tone on the tour, Vance seemed to echo the president’s frustration with Americans’ feelings about the economy.

“I think I would certainly say that voters are impatient. I think voters have every right to be impatient,” the vice president noted. “We, too, are impatient and we’re going to see if what we’re doing and what we think we should be doing converges with what the voters think we should be doing.”

Trump most often adopts an aggressive tone. At his last cabinet meeting, he blamed the media for stoking concerns about the economy.

“When you talk about affordability… do the American people think they’re getting impatient with the reforms you’re making? asked Edward Lawrence, Fox Business White House correspondent, 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 haven’t stopped it,” Trump said, then recounting how he was elected because affordability was an issue.

“So we’re bringing prices down. Much lower. Beef is going down now. We’ve done some magic. Beef is going down. We inherited horrible prices. We really inherited the worst, again, the worst inflation in history. We inherited it. When I came in, that’s what he had and we fixed the inflation. And we fixed almost everything if you want to know the truth, including eight wars. We have one, including eight wars,” the president continued.

Kevin Hassett, one of the White House’s top economic advisers, also appealed to Americans’ struggles while emphasizing that “Trumponomics” will work.

“We understand that people understand, when they look at their wallets and go to the grocery store, that there is still work to be done,” Hassett said.

In an interview with Politico published Tuesday, the president gave himself an “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus” grade on the economy.

“The word affordability is a Democratic scam,” Trump said at his final cabinet meeting.