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Trump heads to Detroit to give a speech refocusing on the American economy

President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House on January 9, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong
/
Getty Images
President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House on January 9, 2026 in Washington, DC.

President Trump heads to Michigan Tuesday hoping to refocus attention on the economy as his party faces headwinds with voters heading into the November midterm elections.

He will be speaking at the Detroit Economic Club and visit a vehicle manufacturing plant in Dearborn that makes F-150 trucks, the White House says.

It will be Trump's first domestic trip since a slew of international news – capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro; threatening military action against Iran after rising protests; threatening to seize Greenland; trying to move forward in the Gaza peace deal; ongoing negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war – has been the president's main focus for weeks.

But in the U.S., even a majority of the president's own supporters remain increasingly concerned about high costs and affordability. It's an issue that was critical for Democrats' successes in the 2025 elections in Virginia and New Jersey and expected to remain top of mind for midterm elections later this year.

Last month, Trump's approval rating on the economy hit a new low of 36%, according to a NPR/PBS/Marist poll. The poll showed voters feel like they are struggling to make ends meet and are most concerned about high costs.

The president addressed his economic agenda in an address from the Oval Office in mid-December and said his administration was "making progress" on lowering costs but "it's not done yet."

In recent weeks, the White House has been touting lower gas prices and a dip in mortgage rates as economic wins. The president also shared that he'll address a plan for more affordable housing during a trip to Davos, Switzerland, next week and said he intends to cap credit card interest rates at 10% for one year.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday reiterated that Americans would see the benefits of tax refunds this spring, a message that Trump shared in his Oval Office address in December.

"It's all good news on the economic front," Leavitt told reporters.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Deepa Shivaram
Deepa Shivaram is a multi-platform political reporter on NPR's Washington Desk.
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