WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared victory in the fight over cost-of-living concerns, signaling a new approach that sought to deny problems with his economic agenda and touting successes in job growth and other metrics.

“Affordability. You notice what word have you not heard over the last two weeks: Affordability. Because I’ve won, I’ve won affordability,” Trump said Thursday during a visit to Georgia, a crucial battleground state.

Pocketbook issues have emerged as the central focus of the upcoming November congressional elections with households hit hard by costs for groceries, utilities and housing. Polls show voters have soured on Trump’s economic policies, endangering Republicans’ hold on both chambers of Congress and the future of the president’s legislative agenda.

Trump and allies have highlighted slowing inflation and job growth that has come in above expectations, but that has failed to assuage voters, and opened the door for Democrats who have seized on that discontent to boost their midterm prospects.

The trip to Georgia indicated a restart of sorts, and one in which the president seems inclined to cheer-lead over cost-of-living concerns. Trump told steelworkers they were “almost out of business” before he returned to power, but claimed his tariffs had brought their industry back to life.

“What a great comeback,” Trump said, arguing success stories were “playing out in cities all around the country.”

The more assertive approach comes after White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and top administration officials held a strategy session earlier this week to hone their strategy ahead of next week’s State of the Union address and the coming midterm elections.

Still, whether the latest framing sticks remains to be seen. Trump had previously dismissed the affordability conversation as a “hoax” — arguing that his situation compared favorably to former President Joe Biden — while also conceding that there was still work to do on grocery prices, and gradually rolling back some of his tariff policies. A pledge to travel weekly to discuss economic issues has yet to fully materialize as Trump remains focused on foreign affairs, including currently the standoff with Iran.

Trump on Thursday touted his use of tariffs, saying sweeping import levies on trading partners and key industries had forced companies to shift production to the U.S., boosting job growth. Trump said he had met on Wednesday with the CEO of drug company Novartis AG, who he said told him that tariffs had led him to move to build plants in the U.S.

The president spoke at Coosa Steel Corporation, a business in Rome, Georgia, outside of Atlanta, that he said had benefited from levies on steel and aluminum imports. And he expressed frustration that the U.S. Supreme Court still had not ruled on a case challenging the legality of those import taxes.

“I’ve been waiting forever, forever, and the language is clear that I have the right to do it as president,” Trump said. “I have the right to put tariffs on for national security purposes, countries that have been ripping us off for years.”

The location of Thursday’s address, Georgia, holds significance for the president. Trump won the state in 2024 but continues to question his loss there in 2020. The FBI seized voting records from a Georgia county earlier this year for what it alleged were “improprieties” connected to the 2020 election.

While Trump’s speech was largely dominated by talk on the economy, he also addressed his push for national voter ID requirements, claiming that “Democrats don’t want to give us voter ID because they want to cheat” — as well as the raid in Atlanta.

“They cheated like dogs,” Trump said, without providing evidence.

The trip also put a spotlight on Trump’s fractured relationship with former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who quit her position in the U.S. House after falling out with the president, in part over his previous reluctance to release files relating to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Trump delivered his speech in the congressional district she represented.

Multiple Republican candidates are seeking to replace her in the northwest Georgia district that has long been a stronghold for Republicans. Trump won 68% of the vote there in 2024.

Democrats, however, have outperformed the GOP in recent special elections. And Shawn Harris, who lost to Greene in 2024 and is running again, has out-raised the entire Republican field of candidates combined ahead of the March 10 special election, according to Federal Election Commission data.

Trump’s Republicans control the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, but Democrats hope to wrest power away in November as voters sour on Trump’s policies on the economy and immigration.

Having a majority in one or both chambers would give Democrats the ability to thwart Trump’s legislative agenda and launch investigations into his administration’s actions.

Polls show voters are still concerned about high prices, something Trump promised as a presidential candidate to tackle.

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