Trump insists prices are 'coming down,' blames Biden - but voters say they're still getting squeezed

The Trump White House is facing a crisis over its economic messaging after Democrats swept a series of elections in November while campaigning on platforms focused on "affordability," lowering the current cost-of-living prices skyrocketing from grocery store shelves to rent, while touting a vote for Democrats was a vote against Trump and his policies. 

The Democratic election wins earlier in 2025 - which included the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia and the mayoral race in New York City - are viewed as a bellwether ahead of the 2026 midterms, lighting a spark among Republicans to fine-tune their messaging on the economy. 

"Putting an end to Joe Biden's inflation and affordability crisis has been a Day One priority for President Trump," White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox News Digital Monday morning when asked about the White House's message on affordability. 

"Every Trump administration official has been playing their part over the past year to deliver on this priority, from slashing costly regulations to securing historic drug pricing deals - efforts that have cooled inflation and raised real wages," he continued. "Much work remains, but President Trump is highlighting the meaningful progress that his Administration has made and will continue to make to turn Joe Biden's economic disaster around." 

Voters have reported they are spooked by the current state of costs in the U.S.

The survey found that voters overwhelmingly blamed Trump over Biden. About twice as many voters polled reported that Trump, rather than Biden, is responsible for the current economy, with three times as many voters reporting that Trump's economic policies have hurt them, which is on par with their feelings during Biden's final year in office. 

Andrew Bates, who served as the Biden White House's deputy press secretary, pointed to the voter survey when asked for response to the Trump administration's heightened comments, pinning blame for economic concerns on policies held over from the Biden White House. 

"Democrats and the Biden-Harris Administration warned Trump against making the biggest health care cuts in history so billionaires could get tax breaks; just like they warned against the tariffs that are a record-level tax hike on working people," Bates said in an emailed comment to Fox News Digital. "Maybe Donald Trump can't remember prices were lower last year. That's what I wondered when he started building himself an assisted living ballroom."  

The White House on Tuesday told Fox News Digital: "The fact of the matter is that Joe Biden inflicted a generational economic crisis on the American people. 

Trump continued in his Politico interview that he grades the current economy as "A-plus."

"I do want to talk about the economy, sir, here at home. And... and I wonder what grade you would give your economy," Politico asked Trump. 

Trump: "A-plus."

Politico: "A-plus?"

Trump responded: "Yeah, A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus."

The Biden administration oversaw the highest inflation to rock the nation in 40 years, 30-year mortgage rates that rocketed to roughly 8%, up from under 3%, and the sharpest rise in interest rates in decades.

Trump hammered again in the interview that Democrats created the current affordability woes while stressing that they are the party that would bring prices down. 

"You talk about affordability, the Democrats love to say affordability, afford... but then they never talk about it," he said. "They're the ones that gave us the high prices. I'm the one that's bringing them down."

Trump is set to travel to Pennsylvania Tuesday, a key battleground state that helped deliver him his 2024 victory, to promote his administration's economic policies and growth amid voters reporting financial anxiety. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previewed Trump's speech during an appearance on "Fox & Friends" Tuesday, which included taking shots at the Biden administration's economic record. 

"We greatly look forward to going to northeast Pennsylvania tonight," Leavitt said. "And President Trump is going to give a positive, economic focused speech where he talks about all that he and his team has done to provide bigger paychecks and lower prices for the American people."

She added: "And don't forget, a year ago, President Trump inherited the worst inflation crisis in modern American history from the Biden administration. And I have watched every single day as President Trump and his tremendous economic team have been working to fix it. And they have, through a very simple economic formula, which President Trump will talk about tonight."