President Donald Trump argued that his economic agenda had delivered for older Americans and lowered their costs of living as he sought to rally their support before November's midterm elections.
Trump on Friday took his economic pitch to The Villages in Florida — a part of that state home to many retirees — where he touted a deduction for seniors that helps reduce their tax burden, one he's cast as "no tax on Social Security," and efforts to bring down drug costs.
"If congressional Democrats had their way, Florida seniors would be paying higher taxes, higher prices, while Republicans have given you much lower taxes, much lower prices," Trump said.
"The Democrats start screaming 'affordability, affordability.' They're the ones that caused the problem," the president added. "We brought prices way down. They gave us tremendously high prices, and they'll give them to you again."
"You have to get out and vote in the midterms," Trump implored.
Trump has urged Republicans to do more to highlight the measures in the tax and spending package he signed last year to reverse their midterm fortunes. Older people are seen as more likely to vote, making it crucial for Republicans to win over and turn out that demographic as they battle to retain control of Congress.
Trump's economic pitch, though, comes as the Iran war brings fresh uncertainty to the nation's economy before November, with higher gasoline prices squeezing Americans already worried about the cost of groceries, utilities, housing and healthcare.
That election is expected to hinge on perceptions of the economy, with polls showing voters give Trump poor marks on that front. Surveys also show voters unhappy with his handling of the Iran war.
The president said his policies meant "more money to visit your grandkids, a bigger budget for taking a trip to some place that you want to go, or extra dinners out with your family."
"You're going to do a lot. You know what to do with the money," he added.
Friday's event marked the first time Trump has left Washington since the White House Correspondents' Association dinner last weekend was disrupted by a gunman who tried to enter the ballroom where the president, cabinet officers and members of Congress were in attendance. The suspect has been charged with trying to kill the president.
"I should be indoors at a secure facility where I can quietly, beautifully and safely play out my term destroying everything that comes in our way, like bad countries that want to get nuclear weapons," Trump said Friday. "They want me to be in a secure place. I said, What's more secure than The Villages?"
More broadly, Trump's trip marked the latest effort by the White House to focus its midterm message on the economy.
Last month in Las Vegas he underscored a tax-law provision allowing some workers to deduct up to $25,000 in qualified tips from their federal income taxes. In April, he ordered a McDonald's delivery to the White House and spoke to a DoorDash driver who praised the impact of the tax changes.
On Thursday, Trump also signed an order to expand access to retirement plans for workers whose employers don't offer that benefit.
Trump was elected on a pledge to lower costs and end foreign wars, yet he's presided over a war that's divided his coalition, driven up energy prices and dashed consumer sentiment. Trump has insisted that gas prices will drop after the conflict ends.
