Trump says midterms will revolve around ‘pricing’ – despite claiming affordability was a Democrat ‘hoax’

President Donald Trump said that the 2026 midterm elections will revolve around “pricing” despite repeatedly describing affordability as a “hoax” perpetuated by Democrats.

During an interview with Politico on Friday, the Republican president expressed confidence that midterm voters — who will decide which party controls Congress next year — will embrace his economic agenda.

“I think it’s going to be about the success of our country. It’ll be about pricing,” Trump told the outlet. “Because, you know, they gave us high pricing, and we’re bringing it down. Energy’s way down. Gasoline is way down.”

The president’s recent emphasis on the cost of living comes after Democrats romped to victory in a string of states earlier this year, largely by tapping into economic concerns.

Recognizing the potency of the issue, Trump went on the offensive, hitting the campaign trail in Pennsylvania earlier this month to highlight his economic agenda and assuage anxieties. However, he veered off script and repeatedly downplayed worries.

“They have a new word. You know, they always have a hoax. The new word is affordability,” Trump said during a December 9 speech in Mount Pocono.

Democrats have complained that “prices are too high,” Trump added. “Yeah, they’re too high because they caused them to be too high. But now they’re coming down.”

He also advocated for austerity measures, stating that American children should be content with “one or two” pencils and “two or three” dolls.

A day earlier, the president appeared supremely satisfied at the state of the U.S. economy, giving it an “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus” rating in an interview with Politico.

Trump’s latest comments come on the heels of a series of economic reports showing the economy performing better than many expected.

In November, inflation fell to 2.7 percent year-over-year, the smallest increase recorded since July, according to the latest consumer price index report from the Labor Department. And data published by the government this week revealed that the economy grew at an annual rate of 4.3 percent, the fastest clip in two years.

“You saw the 4.3 percent?” Trump said to Politico on Friday. “The Democrats were exploding. Their heads were exploding.”

“Electricity is down. It’s way down,” Trump added. “You know, when the gasoline goes down and when the oil and gas go down, the electricity comes down naturally. But it’s all coming down. It’s all coming down. It’s coming beautifully.”

Still, other indicators paint a less favorable picture of the economy. For example, between January and November, corporate bankruptcies soared to a 15-year high as companies struggled to cope with Trump’s trade wars.

And recent polls show that most Americans — including many of Trump’s own voters — are indeed feeling squeezed by the present economic climate.

A Politico survey conducted in November revealed that 46 percent of respondents believe the current cost of living is the worst they can remember. This figure includes 37 percent of Trump 2024 voters and 53 percent of voters who cast their ballots for former Vice President Kamala Harris.

At the same time, nearly half reported struggling to afford essentials like groceries, health care and housing, while more than a quarter said they’ve skipped medical appointments in the past two years due to high costs.