President Donald Trump is gearing up to promote his economic policies with a series of road trips, as Republicans express growing concern about potential setbacks in next year’s midterm elections due to economic issues affecting everyday Americans.

According to a report from Axios, Trump is set to embark on a domestic tour starting in Pennsylvania this coming Tuesday, with plans to continue his travels into the new year. The first stop on his itinerary is northeastern Pennsylvania, although the exact venue has not yet been disclosed by the White House.

There is speculation that Trump might visit Scranton, the hometown of former President Joe Biden. Trump has frequently pointed to Biden as the source of economic difficulties faced by Americans, maintaining a narrative that blames the current administration for financial challenges.

During a recent Cabinet meeting, Trump expressed frustration over Democratic victories in recent elections, dismissing their focus on “affordability” as a deceptive ploy. “The word ‘affordability’ is a Democrat scam,” he asserted, while criticizing the inflation rates under Biden’s leadership as the worst in the nation’s history.

Trump also took the opportunity to criticize Biden, whom he often refers to as “sleepy Joe,” for allowing gas prices to soar to $5 a gallon. In contrast, he claimed credit for reducing these prices to approximately $2.75 a gallon, emphasizing his administration’s achievements in managing fuel costs.

Trump then knocked ‘sleepy Joe,’ his nickname for Biden, railing against the Democrat for having gas prices as high as $5 a gallon, while touting that he’s brought the prices down to around $2.75 a gallon.

According to recent reports, the average gas price in the US is approximately $2.99 to $3.00 per gallon, with some variation by state.

Republicans suffered losses in Virginia, New Jersey and this week underperformed in a Tennessee special election, which all show the brand weakening ahead of the vital 2026 midterms.

President Donald Trump is captured speaking Thursday at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Trump will make a trip to Northeastern Pennsylvania on Tuesday in an attempt to sell his economic agenda as Republican fear a bloodbath in next year’s midterm races 

President Donald Trump could visit Scranton if he wanted to troll former President Joe Biden (left), who was born in the Pennsylvania town. Scranton’s Democratic Mayor Paige Cognetti (right) has announced a Congressional bid to take on GOP Representative Rob Bresnahan

Despite Trump hitting his lowest poll numbers of his second term last month, according to the Daily Mail’s polling, Axios reported that White House aides still believe the president is his party’s best mouthpiece. 

And Northeastern Pennsylvania is expected to host one of the tightest House races next year.

Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, which includes Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and part of the Poconos, was a squeaker of a race last year, with Republican Representative Rob Bresnahan flipping a longtime Democratic seat by winning just 50.8 percent of the vote. 

While the Cook Political Report rates the district ‘lean Republican,’ Democrats see an opening as Bresnahan has gotten flack for having a ‘secret helicopter’ and dumping six figures worth of stock on companies that manage Medicaid before voting for cuts. 

The Republican pushed back, telling NBC News he ‘never instructed my financial advisers on what to buy, sell, or hold.’

Bresnahan also introduced legislation to ban Congressional stock trading. 

Still, Democrats believe it’s a flippable district and Scranton’s Democratic Mayor Paige Cognetti has already jumped into the race. 

Retired state administrative officer Francis McHale, another Democrat, is also running. 

Republican incumbent Representative Rob Bresnahan, who represents Pennsylvania’s 8th District, has already been endorsed by President Donald Trump ahead of 2026. He’s attracted some negative media attention over stock trades and a ‘secret helicopter’ 

President Donald Trump is photographed during an October 2024 rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where former President Joe Biden was born. Aides hope the president can recapture that campaign trail magic heading into the 2026 midterms 

Trump already endorsed Bresnahan for reelection, doing so in early November on Truth Social.

While the president is known for his large-scale campaign rallies, he’s largely eschewed day-long domestic trips during his second term thus far. 

He’s traveled to Florida for winter weekends at Mar-a-Lago and New Jersey for Bedminster summer weekends, but beyond that his domestic travel has largely been to sporting events or disaster zones. 

Staffers hope sending Trump out on the road could help recapture the 2024 magic, when the president mounted one of the wildest political comebacks in American history.

Pennsylvania’s popular Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro, who has his own political future to consider as a possible 2028 White House contender, has a useful excuse to stay away – he’s already slated to be in Washington, D.C. 

Shapiro will appear alongside Utah’s Republican Governor Spencer Cox for a talk at the Washington National Cathedral.

The topic?

Confronting political violence.