They are images that feel like we have seen them hundreds of times: Donald Trump walking on to God Bless the USA, delivering a marathon speech, and leaving the stage to YMCA with a dance step.
And it is not just a feeling. Year after year, the formula is the same. Whenever he senses he is losing his grip, that he needs to reconnect with his base, he hits the trail again.
A Democratic hoax?
It was his first rally since the summer, and there was some urgency from the White House perspective. The president is at his lowest in the polls, and Republicans have posted fairly poor electoral results in recent weeks.
In early November, Democrat Zohran Mamdani won the position as New York's mayor by a wide margin, while two Democratic governors were elected in Virginia and New Jersey. Last week, Republican Matt Van Epps was elected as a representative from Tennessee, with a score far lower than Donald Trump's a year earlier.
In the political debate, affordability (the cost of living) has imposed itself as the central theme. And Republicans' lack of results on this issue is putting them on the defensive. According to a Fox News poll (which Donald Trump cannot accuse of being a left-wing outlet), 76% of Americans have a negative view of the economy.
And when we say the economy, it is not the macro statistics, it is their own experience. According to Politico, 46% of Americans judge that the cost of living is now the worst they can remember: amongst them, 37% voted for Trump last year.
As the Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend, in recent weeks Donald Trump's advisers have pushed him to refocus his message on the economy and address this concern.
Because until now, the American president had refused to go there and give substance to a topic that has become Democrats' favorite line of attack: "There is this false narrative Democrats talk about: affordability. They just say the word. It means nothing to anyone," Trump declared during a cabinet meeting at the White House last week. "It is a Democratic scam."
Last night, he slightly softened his line. "I cannot talk about a hoax regarding affordability, because I acknowledge that prices were excessive. So I cannot call it a hoax, because that would be misinterpreted."
Another president, same problem
This administration faces the same issue as the previous one: repeating that everything is fine and that the economic choices are the right ones, macro figures to back it up. Meanwhile, voters are dealing daily with rising prices.
It is mainly Joe Biden that Donald Trump assigns responsibility to: "I inherited a disaster. I inherited a real disaster," he said Monday in an interview with Politico.
A year ago, Donald Trump was elected by a wide margin after campaigning on the cost of living and denouncing "Biden's inflation." But today, he is struggling to deliver tangible results.
Last night, in front of signs reading "LOWER PRICES" and "BIGGER PAYCHECKS," he tried to sell his economic record. Since the start of his term, he can tout lower egg and gasoline prices, but the rest continues to rise. The latest data released - September's PCE - showed inflation at 2.8%. That is roughly the same level as at the end of Joe Biden's term.
The president also highlighted the benefits of tariffs, arguing that this policy forces companies to produce in the United States and generates billions of dollars in revenue for the government, which can then be redistributed. On Monday, Donald Trump announced $12bn in aid for farmers - farmers who are struggling because of the trade war.
In recent weeks, Donald Trump has already announced several measures aimed at mitigating the impact of tariffs: exemptions on certain food products, deals with several drugmakers to lower the price of some medications and an easing of fuel economy and vehicle emissions rules.
Keeping the upper hand
The trip to Pennsylvania is expected to be the first in a long series designed to showcase his economic record. The goal is to keep a congressional majority next November. "He is going to campaign like it's 2024 all over again," White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said Monday, embracing a strategy to make the midterms a referendum on Trump.
After several tough elections for Republicans in early November, Donald Trump insisted the two reasons for that setback were the shutdown and "Trump not being on the ballot."
If Donald Trump is returning to the campaign trail, it is also to address concerns about his physical stamina. A topic that plagued his predecessor's term.
"No president has ever worked as hard as me! My days are the longest and my results among the best," he wrote last night on Truth Social just after his rally. "I will know when I 'slow down,' but it is not now!"
