{"id":2566182,"date":"2026-02-06T16:23:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T21:23:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/can-trump-stay-focused-on-the-economy\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T16:28:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T21:28:36","slug":"can-trump-stay-focused-on-the-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/can-trump-stay-focused-on-the-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Trump stay focused on the economy?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcan-trump-stay-focused-on-the-economy%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2566182&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The piece analyzes whether Donald Trump can stay focused on the economy as he seeks to shore up support for Republicans ahead of the midterms. It argues that while Trump is highly skilled at marketing,his free\u2011wheeling style undermines message discipline,making it hard to consistently emphasize prices and affordability.The article notes episodes such as a since\u2011removed video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys and the White House\u2019s initial defense, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-allies-aim-for-major-trade-agreements-with-next-best-economies\/\" title=\"US allies aim for major trade agreements with next-best economies\">drew sharp reactions<\/a> from both parties. It also covers Trump\u2019s National Prayer Breakfast remarks,internal debates about how to message his economic record,and his tendency to entertain his audience and online followers more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ny-times-many-democrat-party-officials-have-no-faith-in-biden\/\" title=\"NY Times: Many Democrat Party Officials Have No Faith in Biden\">persuade swing voters<\/a>. The analysis suggests that Trump\u2019s strategy\u2014\u201cflooding the zone\u201d with varied messages and headlines\u2014frequently enough distracts from a cohesive economic message, even as inflation and affordability remain central issues. Trump is portrayed as the face of the Republican Party on economic concerns, with the challenge of maintaining a focused, credible economic narrative through November.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Can Trump stay focused on the economy?<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2497274\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> is highly skilled at marketing and branding, but his freewheeling style doesn&rsquo;t always lend itself well to message discipline.<\/p>\n<p>That is going to pose a challenge ahead of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-elections\/\">midterm elections<\/a> as Trump tries to bolster public perceptions of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/economy\/\">economy<\/a> and reassure voters he and congressional Republicans are doing everything they can to improve it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4449257\/melania-trump-announces-2026-white-house-easter-egg-roll\/\">First lady announces 2026 White House Easter Egg Roll&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4448727\/tim-scott-calls-trump-remove-obama-monkey-video-truth-social\/\">Trump takes down video depicting Obamas as monkeys after swift bipartisan criticism<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4448734\/kamala-harris-2028-best-news-for-gop-joe-concha\/\">Kamala Harris running in 2028 is &#8216;best news&#8217; for GOP: Joe Concha<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>On Friday, the headlines were instead dominated by a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4448727\/tim-scott-calls-trump-remove-obama-monkey-video-truth-social\/\">since-removed video<\/a> Trump posted depicting former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/barack-obama\/\">Barack Obama<\/a> and his wife, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/michelle-obama\/\">Michelle<\/a>, as monkeys. The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house\/\">White House <\/a>initially defended the posting, but then conceded it was a staffer&rsquo;s error and took it down.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) promptly blasted the video as &ldquo;the most racist thing I&rsquo;ve seen out of this White House,&rdquo; raising questions about what ranked second. Scott is the only black Republican senator and chairman of the Senate GOP&rsquo;s campaign arm, tasked with defending the party&rsquo;s upper chamber majority this year.<\/p>\n<p>After the post was removed, Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gavin-newsom\/\">Gavin Newsom<\/a> (D-CA) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/govpressoffice\/status\/2019829229442199827?s=46&amp;t=DWvFZKhHrb-IsLTLUkXUsQ\">mocked Trump<\/a> for not writing his own social media posts, alluding to the autopen controversies under former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\">Joe Biden<\/a>. Newsom is a likely candidate for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, Trump gave a long speech at the National Prayer Breakfast. It was at times funny and irreverent. It likely played well with most of the audience in the room. It also seemed barely tailored to an audience of religious conservatives and rehearsed a set of long-standing Trump grievances, complete with calling Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) a &ldquo;moron.&rdquo; The Trump-friendly social conservative Eric Metaxas wrote, and then deleted, a post incredulously asking if anyone had advised Trump that this was the National Prayer Breakfast and offering to help.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Having been there advising and hearing others advise, I can tell you that yes, his team advises,&rdquo; former senior legal adviser to the Trump 2020 campaign and outspoken Christian conservative Jenna Ellis <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/realJennaEllis\/status\/2019464729190658312\">wrote<\/a> on X. &ldquo;He does not listen.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But Trump does speak, including about the issues of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/inflation\/\">inflation<\/a> and affordability that will dominate the midterm elections. Trump delivered a prime-time speech about the economy from the White House before Christmas in what was billed as a pivot toward an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/daily-memo\/3926842\/trumps-economic-campaign\/\">economic campaign<\/a>. Trump, Vice President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\">JD Vance<\/a>, and other officials embarked on an affordability tour.<\/p>\n<p>It <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4448700\/white-house-report-card-poll-trump-approval-economy-affordability-new-low\/\">isn&rsquo;t breaking through<\/a>. The two <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >episodes mentioned earlier illustrate<\/a> why. Trump&rsquo;s speeches are all over the place and often intended to entertain the in-person audience (and himself) more than to drive a message, even if he does ultimately hit all the important points about prices and the cost of living. Trump&rsquo;s asides generate more media attention than his defense of his economic record. His quarrels with Massie and interest in relitigating the 2020 election seem to animate him more, too.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s frenetic social media activity is also aimed more at titillating his hardcore online supporters (and, again, amusing himself) than persuading swing voters. The White House and its allies try to push out a narrative about progress on prices, highlighting things that have become less expensive since Trump returned to office. Gas prices are down. Rents are <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/editorials\/4445430\/rents-fall-again-trump-deportations-rise\/\">falling as deportations rise<\/a>. It mostly gets lost in the shuffle.<\/p>\n<p>Democratic <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4447754\/scott-bessent-flak-democrats-affordability-senate-hearing\/\">lawmakers pressed<\/a> Treasury Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/scott-bessent\/\">Scott Bessent<\/a> during his Capitol Hill testimony this week on what Trump means by the &ldquo;affordability hoax,&rdquo; implying the president doesn&rsquo;t view high prices as a legitimate issue. Bessent attempted to clarify that Trump was calling the Democrats&rsquo; eagerness to blame his administration for inflation and their renewed interest in this topic once Biden left office a &ldquo;hoax.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>When <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bill-clinton\/\">Bill Clinton<\/a> was elected president in 1992, he vowed to &ldquo;focus like a laser beam&rdquo; on the economy. His strategist, James Carville, coined the phrase &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the economy, stupid.&rdquo; Trump won in 2024 in part because of the economy, but his approach has always been different. He believes in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/thelion.sites.lmu.edu\/opinion\/shock-and-awe-the-method-to-trumps-madness\/\">flooding the zone<\/a>, dominating headlines across the board rather than just on one or two issues.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes it works. Democrats were certainly on their heels this time last year as Trump issued a flurry of executive orders. But, like Trump&rsquo;s oratorical flourishes and Truth Social posts, this strategy can make it difficult to drive a message or explain anything.<\/p>\n<p>Trump isn&rsquo;t alone. Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/abigail-spanberger\/\">Abigail Spanberger<\/a> (D-VA) won last year on affordability, but since taking office, all the focus has been on tax increases, a new Democratic-dominated congressional map, and a slew of liberal policy proposals being pushed by her allies in the state legislature.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4446635\/trump-georgia-raid-2020-governor-senate\/\"><strong>TRUMP RAID REOPENS 2020 FAULT LINES IN GEORGIA GOVERNOR AND SENATE RACES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>New York City Mayor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/zohran-mamdani\/\">Zohran Mamdani<\/a> was also elected last year with a special emphasis on affordability. Since taking office, the headlines have mainly been about his <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4427001\/new-york-radical-new-chapter-zohran-mamdani\/\">controversial appointments, <\/a><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4449070\/mamdani-executive-order-requiring-warrant-ice-enter-new-york-city-properties\/\">executive orders<\/a>, and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/politics\/zohran-mamdani-new-york-city-governance\/\">snow removal struggles<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, Trump is the face of the Republican Party as it looks to maintain control of Congress in an election dominated by economic concerns. It&rsquo;s a subject he&rsquo;ll need to try to stay on through November.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump must keep economy focus amid erratic messaging<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2659,"featured_media":2566183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2260072092.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[9168,5894,10423,3634],"class_list":["post-2566182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-economy","tag-politics","tag-presidency","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2260072092.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2566182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2566182"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2566182\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2566186,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2566182\/revisions\/2566186"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2566183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2566182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2566182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2566182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}