A 'golden age' vs. 'we're working on it': Trump and Vance give different
pitches on the economy
[October 21, 2026]
By MICHELLE L. PRICE
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bill Clinton famously said he could feel
voters’ pain over the economy. But these days, when it comes to
questions about high prices, President Donald Trump insists that the
pain is his.
“They hit me with affordability, and that’s the first time I ever heard
the word used,” he complained in Nebraska earlier this month.
The White House leaves Vice President JD Vance to use a softer touch.
Last month in Texas, he admitted “there are people out there who are
frustrated by the pace of progress." And during a CBS News town hall on
Saturday, Vance said, “I recognize that gas prices are too high right
now" and "we’re working on it.”
Depending on which Republican is speaking, Americans are getting a
different perspective on how bad things are with the economy. Trump says
“the golden age of America is upon us.” Vance walks a tightrope to show
that he knows voters are feeling an economic pinch while still selling
them on Trump's agenda.
The disconnect comes as Americans’ confidence in the economy sank to the
lowest level in more than a decade this month, the average long-term
U.S. mortgage rate jumped this month to its highest level in nearly
three years and the unemployment rate ticked up last month.
Recent economic data released this month shows that high gasoline prices
are intensifying inflation and more expensive oil and gas have begun to
push prices up in other parts of the economy.
While most of Trump's supporters don't hold him at fault, some
acknowledge that the president's penchant for salesmanship may not hit
the mark.
"I think he talks it up,” said Conda Little, a 76-year-old retiree who
went to see Trump in Dalton, Georgia, on Friday. “I think Vance is more
real.”
Little takes the president at his word that he will achieve a victory
over Iran in a way that benefits U.S. consumers back home. But she said
it’s impossible to deny the fallout from the conflict.
“Everybody’s real upset about the gas” and “groceries are out of sight,”
she said. “It’s hard. It’s really hard,” she said, adding that, “I think
that people need to hear the truth.”
‘We need to do more’
Trump is loath to acknowledge concerns. He told reporters earlier this
month that he gives himself “an A+ on the government, on economics, on
everything.” He has dismissed concerns about high costs, arguing that
concerns about affordability are a “hoax.”
“We’re in the golden age of America. So our nation is doing better now
than ever before,” he told a crowd in Kentucky on Saturday while
campaigning for Republican candidates.
Trump has occasionally acknowledged that gas prices are high, but has
called it “a small price to pay” for keeping the country and the world
safe with the Iran war.
Trump’s discordant message with one of the top concerns voters are
voicing ahead of the midterm elections has seemed heightened by his
fixation on beautifying Washington and building a large ballroom at the
White House.
During a visit this month to an economically struggling corner of
Arizona, he regaled the crowd with the story about how he ended up with
a luxury jet gifted by Qatar to use as Air Force One.
Vance, as he crisscrosses the country, is quick to say that the
administration has more work to do.
To cast blame, the vice president often says that his administration’s
Democratic predecessors put the country in such a deep hole that they
need more time to climb out.
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President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House,
Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, in Washington, as Vice President JD Vance
listens. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
To show empathy, he often references his own experience growing up
in a working-class family in a Rust Belt town. That's far different
than Trump, who comes from a wealthy family, is a billionaire and
even joked during his speeches on Friday and Saturday that if people
have lunch at his Mar-a-Lago club, "for $5,000, you’ll get one
hamburger and a small dessert.”
Vance, during a CBS News town hall that aired on Saturday, said: “I
grew up in a working-class family. When gas prices were high, I know
that it made my grandmother suffer, and I’m sure that you’re
struggling with it in a variety of ways."
When asked by the moderator about the mixed message he and Trump are
giving on the economy, Vance said Trump was speaking about new
investments coming into the country, but said the changes take time.
“We need to do more, and we can certainly do better,” he
acknowledged.
Many Trump supporters trust his pitch
Some voters said Trump’s rosy view on the economy turns them away,
like Santiago Rodriguez, a 19-year-old Texas college student who
will be voting for the first time this year.
Rodriguez, who attended a campaign rally last week for Democratic
Senate candidate James Talarico, said he would consider voting for a
Republican but not while Trump is in charge because he doesn’t grasp
the high cost of living for Americans.
“I think he’s out of touch, I think he’s never seen what a true day
as a Texan or anybody in general who is in the working class,”
Rodriguez said.
Trump's most loyal supporters aren’t interested in blaming high
prices on anything the president has done.
Cindy Massengill, a 67-year-old who came to see Trump in Dalton,
Georgia, said she felt he’s doing the best he can.
“I’m positive that he’s got done more than any other president after
the mess we were left with Obama and Biden,” she said.
Mary Bunker, a 67-year-old Republican who attended Trump’s Monday
rally near Wichita, Kansas, said she works multiple jobs, including
as a waitress and DoorDash driver.
She feels the pressure of high gas prices, but she likes the tax
breaks that Trump signed into law last year and she doesn’t fault
the way he speaks about economic concerns.
“I think he’s a very good businessman,” Bunker said. “He’s been in
business a long time, so I think he knows what he’s talking about.”
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Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Dalton, Georgia, Jesse
Bedayn in San Marcos, Texas, and Nicholas Ingram in Park City,
Kansas, contributed to this report.
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