Dec. 10, 2025, 11:38 a.m.
On paper, President Trump’s speech in Pennsylvania was supposed to be the opening night of a speaking tour on the economy, but spiritually, the rambling set felt more like the kickoff of a past-their-prime band’s farewell tour.
There was no set list, he played the hits when he could, and did crowd work with MAGA’s version of the Parrotheads, decked out in their finest Trump swag after following him around for years.
In the end, the speech was indistinguishable from all the other rally speeches he’s delivered over the last decade.
During his nearly hour and a half remarks, Trump riffed on: windmills; the lie that he won Pennsylvania three times; Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s business background; “the autopen” conspiracy; comparing the nicknames “Sleepy Joe” and “Crooked Joe”; Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN 05), who “does nothing but bitch”; and Butler, Pennsylvania, “where the thing happened.”
Prior to the speech, Stephen Moore, an economist and outside adviser to Trump, said that the president would stay laser-focused on affordability and not downplay voters’ economic concerns like former President Biden did.
“I think Trump will probably start making the point that I care and I feel your pain when you go to the grocery store,” he told NOTUS.
When Trump did talk about economics, it wasn’t necessarily evocative of former President Clinton. Democrats “always have a hoax. The new word is affordability,” he said. Trump played Grinch as the holiday season drew near. “You don’t need 37 dolls for your daughter,” he told the crowd. “Two or three is nice.”
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said in an interview that Trump will "campaign like it's 2024 again" for Republicans during the midterms. If this is the same scratchy record Trump is offering some of the most vulnerable members of his party—like Republicans Reps. Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07) and Rob Bresnahan (PA-08) who were in the crowd last night—then they might be better off changing the platter.
— Kirk A. Bado
kbado@nationaljournal.com
