Trump's speech on combating inflation turns to grievances about
immigrants from 'filthy' countries
[December 10, 2025]
By MARC LEVY and JOSH BOAK
MOUNT POCONO, Pa. (AP) — On the road in Pennsylvania on Tuesday,
President Donald Trump tried to emphasize his focus on combating
inflation, yet the issue that has damaged his popularity couldn't quite
command his full attention.
The president told the crowd gathered at a casino and resort in Mount
Pocono that inflation was no longer a problem and that Democrats had
used the term “affordability” as a “hoax” to hurt his reputation. But
his remarks weaved wildly to include grievances he first raised behind
closed doors in his first term in 2018 — and later denied saying —
asking why the U.S. doesn't have more immigrants from Scandinavia.
“Why is it we only take people from s—-hole countries, right?” Trump
said onstage. "Why can’t we have some people from Norway, Sweden, just a
few?”
Trump said he objected to taking immigrants from “hellholes like
Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia and many other countries." He added for
emphasis that those places “are a disaster, right? Filthy, dirty,
disgusting, ridden with crime.”
Tuesday’s gathering in the swing state — and in a competitive House
district — was an official White House event, yet it seemed more like
one of his signature campaign rallies that his chief of staff said he
would hold regularly ahead of next year’s midterms. But instead of being
in an arena that could draw several thousand attendees, it was held in a
conference center ballroom at the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount
Pocono, a small town of about 3,000 residents.
Voters starting to blame lasting inflation on Republicans
Following dismal results for Republicans in last month's off-cycle
elections, the White House has sought to convince voters that the
economy will emerge stronger next year and that any anxieties over
inflation have nothing to do with Trump.
He displayed a chart comparing price increases under his predecessor,
Joe Biden, to prices under his own watch to argue his case. But the
overall inflation rate has climbed since he announced broad tariffs in
April and left many Americans worried about their grocery, utility and
housing bills.
“I have no higher priority than making America affordable again,” Trump
said. “They caused the high prices and we’re bringing them down."
As the president spoke, his party's political vulnerabilities were
further seen as Miami voters chose Eileen Higgins to be their first
Democratic mayor in nearly 30 years. Higgins defeated the Trump-endorsed
Republican Emilio Gonzalez.
The president's reception in the county hosting his Tuesday rally showed
he could still appeal to the base, but it was unable to settle questions
of whether he could hold together his 2024 coalition. Monroe County
flipped to Trump last year after having backed Biden in 2020, helping
the Republican win the swing state of Pennsylvania and return to the
White House after a four-year hiatus.
As home to the Pocono Mountains, the county has largely relied on
tourism for skiing, hiking, hunting and other activities as a source of
jobs. Its proximity to New York City — under two hours by car — has also
attracted people seeking more affordable housing.
In Monroe County, people agree that prices are a problem
But what seems undeniable — even to Trump supporters in Monroe County —
is that inflation seems to be here to stay.
Lou Heddy, a retired maintenance mechanic who voted for Trump last year,
said he’s noticed in the past month alone that his and his wife’s
grocery bills have risen from $175 to $200, and he’s not sure Trump can
bring food prices down.
“Once the prices get up for food, they don’t ever come back down. That’s
just the way I feel. I don’t know how the hell he would do it,” said
Heddy, 72.
But Suzanne Vena, a Democratic voter, blames Trump’s tariffs for making
life more expensive, as she struggles with rising bills for food, rent
and electricity on a fixed income. She remembers Trump saying that he
would stop inflation.
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President Donald Trump speaks at the Mount Airy Casino Resort in
Mount Pocono, Pa., Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
“That’s what we were originally told,” said Vena, 66. “Did I believe it?
That’s another question. I did not.”
The area Trump visited could help decide control of the House in next
year's midterm elections.
Trump held his rally in a congressional district held by first-term
Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan, who is a top target of Democrats.
Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, a Democrat, is running for the nomination
to challenge him.
Speaking to the crowd before Trump, Bresnahan said the administration
was working to lower costs, but voters “aren’t asking for partisan
arguments — they’re asking for results.”
It's not clear if Trump can motivate voters in Monroe County to show up
in next year's election if they're worried about inflation.
Nick Riley, 38, said he’s cutting back on luxuries, like going out to
eat, as he absorbs higher bills for food and electricity and is having a
hard time finding a good deal on a used car. Riley voted for Trump in
2020, but he sat out the 2024 election and plans to do so again next
year.
“We’re all broke. It doesn’t matter whether you support Republicans or
support Democrats,” Riley said. “We’re all broke, and we’re all feeling
it.”
Trump to start holding more rallies before midterm elections
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said on the online conservative
talk show “The Mom View” that Trump would be on the campaign trail next
year to engage supporters who otherwise might sit out a congressional
race.
Wiles, who helped manage Trump's 2024 campaign, said most
administrations try to localize midterm elections and keep the president
out of the race, but she intends to do the opposite of that.
“We’re actually going to turn that on its head," Wiles said, "and put
him on the ballot because so many of those low-propensity voters are
Trump voters.”
The challenge for Trump is how to address the concerns of voters about
the economy while simultaneously claiming that the economy is enjoying a
historic boom.
Asked on a Politico podcast how he'd rate the economy, Trump leaned into
grade inflation by answering “A-plus,” only to then amend his answer to
“A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus.”
Trump says economy is strong, but Americans should buy fewer dolls
The U.S. economy has shown signs of resilience with the stock market up
this year and overall growth looking solid for the third quarter. But
many Americans see the prices of housing, groceries, education,
electricity and other basic needs as swallowing up their incomes, a
dynamic that the Trump administration has said it expects to fade next
year with more investments in artificial intelligence and manufacturing.
So far, the public has been skeptical about Trump's economic
performance. Just 33% of U.S. adults approve of Trump's handling of the
economy, according to a November survey by The Associated Press-NORC
Center for Public Affairs Research.
But Trump indicated that his tariffs and other policies were helping
industries such as the steel sector. He said those industries mattered
for the country as he then specifically told Americans that they should
buy fewer pencils and dolls from overseas.
“You don’t need 37 dolls for your daughter,” he told the crowd. “Two or
three is nice.”
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Boak reported from Washington.
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