By Jarrett Renshaw
PHILADELPHIA, Dec 16 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President JD Vance will travel to Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley on Tuesday to highlight the administration’s economic message, a week after President Donald Trump visited the battleground state and delivered remarks that strayed from a focused economic pitch.
The visit underscores a broader White House effort to sharpen its economic message as Republicans look to retain power in the midterm elections, amid signs that voter frustration over
costs is undercutting the party’s political standing despite upbeat rhetoric from the administration.
Analysts say Vance’s disciplined and policy-focused approach could allow him to make a stronger economic case than Trump, who excels with the party base but struggles to persuade beyond it.
"Trump knows one thing: he speaks to the base well. JD Vance can actually stick to the subject and the prepared arguments. That's impossible for Trump," said Larry Sabato, a professor of political science at the University of Virginia.
Trump visited a casino in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains on December 9 to deliver what was billed as the first in a series of speeches by the president to address criticism that he was not paying sufficient attention to voters who say they are struggling with high prices.
Instead, the 90-minute speech veered into attacks on the word "affordability," which Trump derided as a Democratic hoax to exaggerate the cost of living. While Trump did acknowledge that prices were high, he insisted the economy was booming and people were taking home more pay.
U.S. economic growth remains steady, but inflation continues to pinch households. Wage gains have lagged behind living expenses for many Americans, leaving households under pressure.
Vance is expected to tour a Uline distribution facility near Allentown before delivering remarks. Uline is owned by billionaire founders Liz and Dick Uihlein, who rank among Trump’s biggest political donors, contributing tens of millions of dollars to his campaign and allied causes, according to campaign finance records.
Vance will be more focused on specific economic arguments and also try to draw more clearly from the world of right-wing political thought, said Julian Zelizer, a presidential historian at Princeton University.
"There will be less focus from reporters on the style and erratic performance, and more on the arguments themselves," he said.
Zelizer said Vance may be better suited to make the case on economic policy, but the stakes are high for the administration and the Republican Party.
“They are struggling right now as the real-world impact of their economic policies doesn’t match the positive rhetoric that keeps coming from the administration,” he said.
(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Caitlin Webber; Editing by Michael Perry)
