President Donald Trump is once again taking a victory lap over what he calls the “greatest economy right now,” even as voters signal they’re not feeling it. Speaking at the America Business Forum in Miami, Trump told a crowd of global elites, athletes, and business leaders that the real issue isn’t the economy, it’s communication. “If people don’t talk about it, then you can do not so well in elections,” he said.
The event, sponsored by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, marked Trump’s attempt to spin a string of Republican election losses as a messaging problem rather than a reflection of economic discontent. His speech, however, wandered from boasting about deregulation and lower gas prices to calling Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell a “nincompoop.”
Meanwhile, an AP Voter Poll of more than 17,000 voters found Americans are still deeply uneasy about inflation, job security, and affordability issues that helped Democrats win major races in Virginia, New York, and New Jersey.
In a rare policy move that drew praise from some medical experts, Trump announced new agreements with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to drastically cut prices on popular weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound.
Through the newly launched TrumpRx website, prices for these drugs will reportedly drop from over $1,000 per month to about $350. The deal extends to Medicaid and Medicare recipients, which could especially benefit Black Americans, who suffer disproportionately from obesity and diabetes.
“This is a triumph for American patients that will save lives,” Trump said from the Oval Office.
Following Republican losses in multiple states, Trump appeared on Fox News to explain what went wrong and his answer was, predictably, linguistic. “They have this new word called affordability,” he said, accusing Democrats of “making it up” while praising his own economic record.
When asked about high grocery costs by a voter in North Carolina, Trump replied, “I think of groceries. You know, it’s an old-fashioned word, but it’s a beautiful word.”
Despite Trump’s claim that “prices are way down,” the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports food costs are 18.2% higher than they were in early 2022. Economists blame Trump’s renewed tariff policies for much of the market instability, saying the trade wars have raised prices on goods and forced layoffs across multiple industries.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that the Trump administration’s economic agenda “hurts low- and moderate-income people, families, and communities of all races and Black people especially.”
The Miami event showcased Trump’s growing use of the city as a political and symbolic base. The upcoming 2026 G20 Summit will be hosted at Trump’s Doral golf club, a move critics call self-dealing.
He also received a ceremonial gold key from Miami’s Republican Mayor Francis Suarez, who praised Trump’s “transformational” leadership and hinted that the city will house Trump’s planned presidential library, currently tied up in a land dispute.
Even amid policy announcements, Trump’s message to Americans remains unchanged: ignore the critics and trust the showman. Whether voters are still buying it is another story.
