While capitulating to the demand for a House vote to release all the Epstein files, President Donald Trump called on Republicans to divert their energy back toward the economy and affordability — an issue that the White House has been trying to own since the party’s devastating losses in the elections less than two weeks ago.
“All I do care about is that Republicans get BACK ON POINT, which is the Economy, ‘Affordability’ (where we are winning BIG!), our Victory on reducing Inflation from the highest level in History to practically nothing, bringing down prices for the American People, delivering Historic Tax Cuts, gaining Trillions of Dollars of Investment into America (A RECORD!),” he wrote on Truth Social late Sunday.
Despite Trump’s best efforts to shift the public’s attention to his accomplishments, the administration’s messaging on affordability has been overshadowed by other recent events.
Chief among those attention-grabbing news items is the discharge petition that recently gained the necessary 218 signatures to force a vote on the release of the Epstein files to the full House floor. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who has recently drawn Trump’s ire, is at the forefront of the effort.
Ahead of the expected House vote this week, Trump reversed his stance on the release of the Epstein files by saying he has “nothing to hide” in an attempt to move on from what he called the “Democrat Hoax.” The president called the Epstein files a distraction designed to “deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory” on ending the historic government shutdown last week.
Another story that has caused a deep divide within the Republican Party is conservative pundit Tucker Carlson‘s viral interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes. Although the interview aired on X last month, the fallout from the episode persists as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and other Republicans denounce Carlson for platforming Fuentes’s antisemitic views.
When asked about the interview, Trump declined to condemn Carlson or Fuentes. Instead, he seemed to give the former Fox News host a pass, while noting that he knows very little about the right-wing personality.
“You can’t tell [Carlson] who to interview,” Trump told reporters on Sunday. “If he wants to interview Nick Fuentes, I don’t know much about him, but if he wants to do it … you know, people have to decide, ultimately the people have to decide.”
Meanwhile, the White House is set to receive a visit from Saudi Arabia‘s crown prince this week. This will likely further drown out Trump’s renewed focus on affordability, as the visit is set to anger prominent MAGA figures critical of Saudi Arabia’s influence in the United States.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who fell out with Trump over the weekend, and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon have urged the president to focus less on foreign policy and more on domestic issues that resonate with his supporters.
In addition to hosting the Saudi Arabian delegation at the White House on Tuesday, the Trump administration is co-hosting an investment conference with the Middle Eastern nation on Wednesday at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. The conference aims to strengthen the economic partnership between the two countries by exploring new investment opportunities in critical sectors.
Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has deepened his relationship with Saudi Arabia, allowing the ally to gain a stronger foothold in U.S. media. Most recently, Kushner’s private equity firm and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund together acquired videogame developer Electronic Arts for $55 billion. Years earlier, Kushner was reportedly involved in getting the Saudi-backed LIV Golf a U.S. media rights deal.
Before Saudi Arabia’s visit to the U.S., Trump will headline a summit in front of McDonald’s owners, operators, and suppliers later Monday. At the event, Trump is poised to speak on affordability.
Axios reported that the president will address tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as part of his vision to benefit small businesses and job creators financially.
Living and utility costs proved to be a winning message for Democrats in the off-year election cycle, prompting Republicans to focus on voters’ economic concerns heading into next year.
Trump has bragged about his record on the issue, contrasting the accomplishments of his second term so far with those of the Biden administration. He claimed responsibility for this year’s lower costs for Walmart’s Thanksgiving food basket, but journalists challenged him for making the claim without providing key context from last year’s Thanksgiving list.
SALENA ZITO: TRUMP SAYS HE’S ‘WORKING TO MAKE THINGS LESS EXPENSIVE’
In response, Trump blamed Democrats for their “con job” on affordability.
“We are much better than Biden and all of them now, just so you understand,” he told reporters this month. “Do you remember that the Biden administration had the highest inflation in 48 years? The reason I don’t want to talk about affordability is because everybody knows that it’s far less expensive under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.”
