Trump to visit Pennsylvania to talk economy

Benjamin Kail, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Dec 4, 2025

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President Donald Trump will visit northeastern Pennsylvania on Tuesday as part of a tour focused on touting his administration's efforts to combat high prices and the work remaining over the next three years.

Full details were not released, but the White House told the Post-Gazette on Thursday that the visit would focus on affordability and tackling inflation — issues that Pennsylvania voters often cited as their top concern last year when they helped Trump reclaim the presidency.

The president has celebrated his successes in both foreign and domestic affairs, but Democrats have continued to hit him on costs remaining high. Trump has highlighted price drops in some sectors, particularly gas prices, but concerns about tariff impacts, inflation, and costs associated with housing, transportation, utilities and groceries remain prevalent.

A recent CBS poll showed more than three-quarters of respondents felt the president hadn't spent enough time addressing high prices.

In a Politico/Public First poll released this week, nearly half of respondents said the cost of living was higher than they've ever experienced. Even 37% of 2024 Trump voters agreed.

During a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Trump characterized the issue of affordability as a "con job" by Democrats — who have heavily focused on the issue.

"They just say the word," Trump said. "It doesn't mean anything to anybody. I inherited the worst inflation in history. There was no affordability. Nobody could afford anything."

The tour comes as the president faces the lowest approval rating of his second term, according to Gallup, whose latest survey showed 36% approval of Trump's performance and 60% disapproving. He was previously stable for about three months at around 40%, according to Gallup.

A new Fox News poll conducted by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School showed Trump with just a 29% approval rating. His approval on the economy was 26%. Respondents also disapproved of Congress' performance, with only 27% supporting Democrats and 26% approving of Republicans' work.

The president has seen Pennsylvania as critical not only politically but for investments in industry including steel, coal, oil, natural gas and AI.

He visited Pittsburgh for an AI and energy summit this summer. Along with Sen. Dave McCormick and Gov. Josh Shapiro, Trump announced tens of millions of dollars in private investments boosting the state's tech and energy infrastructure.

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