Trump Says Economy Has ‘Public Relations’ Problem Amid High Prices and Slow Hiring

To President Trump, the U.S. economy is as strong as ever. The only thing missing, he says, is “good public relations.”

In the waning days of a high-stakes, hard-fought midterm election, Mr. Trump has redoubled his efforts to try to convince voters that the nation is better off than they realize. As Americans tough out another month of high prices and slow job growth, the president has tried to make the case that the problem isn’t actually the state of the economy — but, rather, the messaging around it.

The president’s frustration was on display this week, as he returned to the campaign trail to stump for Republicans, with roughly one month until voters are set to decide whether to return the party to power.

In a series of appearances in Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas and the nation’s capital, Mr. Trump emphasized that the economy was growing, financial markets were booming and construction was on the upswing. His aides later touted a burst in construction hiring in September, which was evident in the latest jobs report released on Friday.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/business/trump-economy-inflation-midterms.html