Trump to push affordability message at Pennsylvania rally amid mounting economic gloom: Live

Prices are high, Americans are feeling the pain around the kitchen table and in their empty pockets — and President Donald Trump is hitting the road to convince skeptical voters that the U.S. economy is “A+++++”, as he told Politico.

If this all sounds familiar, well, that’s because it is nearly the same game plan, executed to extreme imperfection, by the man Trump now constantly reviles as “maybe the worst ever” at his job, Joe Biden, in the year leading up to his abrupt withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race. (And then again, by former Vice President Kamala Harris as she took the baton and mounted what would become a losing campaign for the presidency.)

President Donald Trump is set to speak in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, in about an hour.

There, he’s expected to deliver a speech on the economy. Follow along for live coverage from The Independent.

During a Tuesday appearance on Fox & Friends, Leavitt expressed her belief that Republicans need to do more to sing Trump’s praises.

“As President Trump has been screaming from the rooftops, Republicans need to remain tough and smart, and they need to be more vocal about telling the accomplishments of this administration,” she told the hosts.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters he wants to know “what the h*** is going on” with the Trump administration’s strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea, according to CNN.

Schumer said: “I will demand of [Marco] Rubio and [Pete] Hegseth, what the hell is going on in the Caribbean and in Venezuela? What are their plans? How far do they plan to go?”

Schumer also said he and other Democrats would consider invoking the War Powers Act if the administration launches ground operations in Venezuela, according to NBC News.

This comes after Trump declined to say whether American troops could be sent to Venezuela during an interview with Politico’s White House bureau chief, Dasha Burns.

“I don’t comment on that. I wouldn’t say that one way or the other,” Trump said.

Two federal appeals court judges appointed by Donald Trump are keeping in place a policy directed by the president to remove transgender service members from all branches of the U.S. military, an order that a dissenting judge called “gratuitously demeaning” and “openly hostile” to all trans Americans.

But experts still see a tough road ahead for American agriculture, and the aftershocks of President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff strategy continue to pose some of the steepest hurdles. The bailout itself is also seen by many as a tacit admission by the White House that the U.S. economy is not where it needs to be — despite what Trump and his minions keep insisting.

President Donald Trump is traveling to Vice President JD Vance’s residence this afternoon for a Christmas reception.

Later today, Trump will give a speech on the economy in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania.

The 11 United States’ World Cup host cities are facing a collective shortfall of at least $250 million, due to a highly restrictive deal from FIFA that may yet see the federal government – as well as local and private funding – have to pick up the costs.

This has created increasing frustration in the host cities, who feel they aren’t “getting any help from anyone,” as sources openly ask whether “Donald Trump is aware he has become the figurehead” for what is described as “the worst deal in Fifa World Cup history.”

President Donald Trump refused to rule out sending troops to Venezuela when asked about the rising tensions with the nation’s leader, Nicolás Maduro.

Politico’s White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns asked the president about the issue during a wide-ranging interview published Tuesday.

“You’ve said that Nicolás Maduro’s days are numbered and that the U.S. could soon strike Venezuelan territory,” Burns said. “Could we see American troops on the ground in Venezuela?”

“I don’t comment on that. I wouldn’t say that one way or the other,” Trump replied.