Trump to ramp up domestic travel to push economic agenda

US President Donald Trump is set to increase his domestic travel as he takes his economic message directly to Americans, a White House official said Thursday, following setbacks for the Republican Party in recent elections where affordability emerged as a major concern.

The official told AFP that Trump’s domestic trips “will continue to ramp up,” after reports suggested the administration is considering more travel and speeches to highlight the president’s economic initiatives.

Trump, 79, has faced pressure from the right wing of his party, including ally Marjorie Taylor Greene, to focus more on domestic issues rather than foreign trips and peace negotiations.

“Cleaning up Joe Biden’s inflation and economic disaster has been a top focus for President Trump since Day One,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said, adding that the president is “implementing a robust economic agenda” aimed at lowering prices on essentials such as gas and eggs. He also pointed to last week’s announcement of a deal to reduce the cost of certain weight-loss drugs.

Despite losses for Republicans in New Jersey and Virginia, and the election of Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as New York City mayor, Trump has insisted that the US economy is strong. “The country has never been in better shape,” he said while signing legislation ending the longest government shutdown in US history on Wednesday.

In recent days, Trump has unveiled additional measures to appeal to voters, including a possible $2,000 dividend for Americans funded by tariffs on other countries.

Inflation remains a key concern for US presidents, and Trump’s push mirrors efforts by President Joe Biden to convince Americans that his economic policies are working.