Trump’s top advisers wage campaign to shift his focus to high prices

In another meeting last month, this time in the Oval Office, aides presented Trump with surveys from one of the president’s own pollsters detailing voters’ concerns about the cost of living. His team has begun showing him social-media posts that illustrate how Americans view the economy. Top aides have taken turns talking to their boss about his economic messaging—and the need to emphasize what voters are feeling. Almost every senior White House official is involved in the effort.

It is part of an across-the-White House bid to change Trump’s messaging on the economy, as many advisers worry that voters’ concerns about high prices are dragging down his presidency and hurting Republicans, according to people familiar with the matter. In conversations in recent weeks, Trump’s advisers have encouraged the president to talk more about what the administration is doing to increase wages, lower the cost of housing and reduce inflation, the people said.

So far, Trump has largely avoided any “I feel your pain" messaging, telling aides that the economy is strong. And he has dismissed Washington’s focus on affordability as a trap set by Democrats intent on papering over the administration’s economic achievements. In many of the private conversations, the people said, Trump has argued that Biden was responsible for inflation, not him.

“There is this fake narrative Democrats talk about. Affordability. They just say the word. It doesn’t mean anything to anybody," Trump said during a meeting with his cabinet secretaries at the White House this week. “The word ‘affordability’ is a con job by the Democrats."

The behind-the-scenes effort to press Trump to talk about affordability has been unfolding for weeks, and it started even before Republicans faced greater-than-expected losses in last month’s elections, the people said.

“Everyone’s talking about the a-word these days. Affordability is a huge issue for the White House," said Stephen Moore, an outside adviser to Trump on the economy. “His numbers on the economy aren’t where they should be. I believe it’s a messaging problem."

Economic growth by its broadest measure has been solid since Trump took office, but job growth has been tepid and the unemployment rate has edged up. Inflation has remained stuck around 3%. In surveys, consumers have signaled deep concern about costs and scarcer job opportunities.

White House aides are reorienting some of Trump’s public events to focus on costs. They are planning economy-focused speeches around the country in early 2026, the people said, and they are making plans to shift to domestic matters after Trump spent some of his first 10 months in office on foreign policy. Republicans fear big losses in the midterms next year if perception of the economy doesn’t improve, administration officials and others close to Trump said.

The president talked up his administration’s efforts to tackle inflation during a speech to McDonald’s franchise owners and suppliers last month, and this week during the cabinet meeting acknowledged more work needed to be done on inflation. On Saturday, Trump signed an executive order that establishes a new government task force to investigate whether anticompetitive behavior in the food industry is contributing to high grocery prices.

“It is a fact the Biden administration created the worst inflation crisis in a generation; and President Trump and his entire administration have been working hard to actually fix it through tax cuts, deregulation and driving down energy prices," said Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary. Leavitt said Trump calls the word “affordability" a con job because “Democrats are pretending to fix an issue THEY created."

Trump won the 2024 election in part because of voter bitterness about Biden’s handling of the economy and concerns about inflation.

Upon taking office, the president pivoted to immigration, foreign policy and other issues. “I talked about inflation too, but you know how many times can you say that an apple has doubled in cost?" he said on Inauguration Day, arguing that immigration was a bigger motivator for voters than prices.

Trump is traveling to northeastern Pennsylvania next week for a speech that a White House official said would focus on the administration’s plans to end what the president’s aides call an inflation crisis set in motion by Biden. More speeches and events focused on the economy are in the works ahead of next year’s midterm election.

In recent remarks, the president has pointed to investments by private companies in the U.S., tax cuts in his signature tax-and-spending package, and his administration’s work to lower drug prices. He has also discussed $2,000 stimulus checks for many Americans that would be paid for with revenue from tariffs.

John McLaughlin, a Trump pollster, said Republicans need to draw a contrast with Democrats on affordability and crime, and highlight Republican-backed tax cuts. “The very obvious and simple response to the affordability issue is going after Democrats who want to raise taxes," he said.

The president has at times been more animated by his peacemaking efforts abroad and his plans to build a sprawling ballroom on the White House complex than by high costs, according to White House officials. Some allies have encouraged the White House to focus less on issues abroad and turn their gaze back to the U.S., where Trump’s support on the economy has sagged in polling.

In private, White House aides say they are concerned about falling victim to the same political pitfalls that bedeviled Biden, who at times struggled to sell a positive message on the economy without sounding dismissive of voters’ angst on cost-of-living issues.

Joe Manchin, the former Democratic senator who criticized Biden for dismissing inflation as transitory, said the economy had stabilized in many ways under Trump. But costs are still deeply concerning to people, he said, and should be a warning sign to the president.

“What they might say: ‘It’s taking longer than we anticipated. We’re working very hard. We’re stabilizing things,’" Manchin said. “They don’t want to re-create the same mistakes Biden made before. You can’t tell me it’s sunshine outside when it’s raining like hell."

So far, Democrats have found a winning strategy by largely focusing on high costs and affordability. Republicans suffered losses in Virginia, New Jersey and other statewide races in last month’s elections, the first major test for the GOP since Trump took office.

On Tuesday, a special election in a solidly red Tennessee district proved competitive, after Republicans poured money into the race to fend off a progressive Democrat who centered her campaign on rising healthcare and grocery costs.

“Inflation is the death of a presidency," said Paul Begala, a longtime Democratic strategist. “The graveyards are littered with leaders who presided over inflation."

Write to Josh Dawsey at Joshua.Dawsey@WSJ.com and Meridith McGraw at Meridith.McGraw@WSJ.com