Daijiworld Media Network - Eastern North Carolina
Eastern North Carolina, Dec 20: In a campaign style address Friday night, President Donald Trump made an intensified pitch that his policies are lowering costs and strengthening the economy — even as he veered off into extended remarks on unrelated topics.
Facing mounting pressure to show tangible relief for rising grocery and everyday expenses, Trump is attempting to shift public perception that prices remain stubbornly high and that his administration hasn’t done enough to ease financial burdens on Americans.
With midterm congressional elections looming next year, Trump has stepped up efforts to highlight economic achievements and to assure voters that their pocketbook pain will ease as his term progresses. On Wednesday he delivered a rare primetime national address — widely seen as his opening effort to redefine the economic narrative.
At an event center in eastern North Carolina — a key battleground state where Republicans are fighting to retain a Senate seat in 2026 — Trump asserted, “We’re fixing four years of disaster and decline. We were a dead country, and now we’re talking about the golden age of America — think of it, in 10 months.”
Trump touted his negotiating style as delivering benefits for Americans struggling with healthcare costs. He claimed that he pressured French President Emmanuel Macron with threats of steep tariffs unless France agreed to a new drug pricing arrangement that would cut U.S. costs — a contention Macron reluctantly accepted, Trump said.
“I said if you don’t do it I’m going to charge you a 25% tariff on everything you sell to America,” Trump told the crowd.
Earlier Friday, the president announced a deal with nine major pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices for Medicaid recipients and individuals who pay cash for prescriptions rather than using insurance.
A banner behind Trump read, “Lower Prices, Bigger Paychecks.”
But the nearly 90 minute speech was not limited to economic matters. Trump also launched sharp critiques of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar and Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and even name checked his 2016 rival Hillary Clinton, describing her as “smart, but… nasty.”
Trump addressed concerns about his health and mental sharpness, acknowledging that no one stays “100%” forever but asserting that he still feels as vibrant as he has in decades.
He also revisited his longstanding grudge over the 2022 FBI search of Mar a Lago, claiming agents caused a “mess” in First Lady Melania Trump’s closet. Trump has since sued the government over the raid and joked about potentially settling the case with himself — even musing about donating any proceeds to charity.
On the political front, Democrats have pledged to make affordability a centerpiece of their midterm campaigns. Rising prices already played a significant role in Democratic wins in two governor’s races this year, and some Republicans have urged Trump to keep a laser focus on cost cutting messages.
However, Trump’s broader remarks — including a controversial social media claim about the death of filmmaker Rob Reiner, and criticism over plans to attach Trump’s name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts — have at times distracted from the economic message.
The release of a new batch of Jeffrey Epstein investigative files by the Department of Justice this week added another point of contention as Trump’s team works to control the narrative.
Mark Mitchell, lead pollster at Rasmussen Reports, said the administration appears to be adjusting its messaging toward affordability and housing but still faces a long road with nearly a year to go before the midterms.
“You really need to show America that Republicans and Trump can govern together and address the really deep problems,” Mitchell said.