By Meridith McGraw and Jeanne Whalen

President Trump traveled Friday to North Carolina to deliver his third speech this month meant to focus on the economy, pitching himself as firmly in command as voters weigh rising costs and his poll numbers have slipped ahead of next year's midterm elections.

"Yesterday it was announced that inflation is far lower than anybody expected -- I told you," the president said, standing in front of supporters and signs that read "Lower Prices" and "Bigger Paycheck." "We're just getting started," he added.

Trump's speech, his second this month in a swing state, comes as the White House has shifted toward directly addressing concerns about the economy and rising costs. Only 31% of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the economy, according to a mid-December poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, down from 40% in March.

On Wednesday, the president delivered a rare prime time address from the White House where he defended his administration's economic policies and marked the close of his first year in power. During the address, Trump said inflation has "stopped" and said his policies had stabilized the economy after what he described as years of mismanagement by the Biden administration.

Inflation slowed to 2.7% unexpectedly in November, but economists cautioned against reading too much into the report because of gaps in data collection during the long government shutdown.

The president said Democrats were to blame for inflation during his Friday speech that also veered into other political topics .

"The only things that are going up are your salaries, the stock market, and your 401(k)," Trump claimed.

Write to Meridith McGraw at Meridith.McGraw@WSJ.com and Jeanne Whalen at Jeanne.Whalen@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 19, 2025 22:28 ET (03:28 GMT)

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