Trump shifts into election mode and pitches his tariff economy to Georgia voters
February 19, 2026 at 11:32 PM
By Andrew Feinberg and John Bowden
Trump visited Rome, Georgia, to try and convince voters that his tariffs are saving, not hurting, the U.S. economy
Trump visited Rome, Georgia, to try and convince voters that his tariffs are saving, not hurting, the U.S. economy
NewsWorldAmericasUS politicsTrump shifts into election mode and pitches his tariff economy to Georgia votersTrump visited Rome, Georgia, to try and convince voters that his tariffs are saving, not hurting, the U.S. economyAndrew Feinberg in Washington, D.C. & John BowdenThursday 19 February 2026 23:32 GMTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoveropen image in galleryDonald Trump leaned into a pro-tariff message defending his economic record on Thursday (AFP via Getty Images)Your support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreDonald Trump made his midterm pitch to Georgia voters on Thursday as he campaigned alongside fellow Republicans and sought to boost their profiles at a rally in Rome.The president’s fixation on an economic message was one tailored to protecting Republican majorities in the House and Senate and did not shy away from what experts argue is putting some of the greatest pressure on keeping U.S. consumer prices persistently high in the post-Covid economy: Tariffs.He leaned heavily into the argument the White House has pushed for months, and insisted that his “reciprocal” tariff agenda had forced top trading partners like Canada to pursue U.S. markets and end malignant trade practices.“Without tariffs, this country would be like your company was two years ago. What a difference it made,” he told the owners of Coosa Steel Corporation after touring the plant.“It's all because you finally have a president who put America first. That's what it is, but it's also, it's also because I oppose powerful 50 percent tariffs on foreign steel when they were coming in and dumping crap all over our country, I ended every one of the Biden era exemptions, and on August 18, I added new tariffs to cover 400 derivative products, including steel racks, which is what you make,” said Trump. “So I say congratulations.”open image in galleryDonald Trump leaned into a pro-tariff economic message defending his economic record on Thursday (AFP via Getty Images)The president’s appearance in the Peach State is the latest in a series of outings touted by the White House as part of a strategy to convince voters that his economic program, which consists largely of tariffs on imports imposed by executive fiat and the wholesale rollback of environmental regulations meant to curb greenhouse gas emissions, is making a dent in the post-Covid pandemic inflation that wreaked havoc on his predecessor’s approval ratings and led voters to return him to power in the 2024 election.Previous economy-focused events in Pennsylvania, Iowa and Georgia over the last three months have seen Trump return to campaign rally-style speeches that invariably degenerated into grievance-laden rants interspersed with blatantly false assertions about his administration’s economic record.He continued that trend in Rome, telling Georgia voters that prices were down across the board. In reality, Americans are facing persistently high prices in many sectors of the economy, including food and health care, where millions of Americans just experienced the shock of skyrocketing premium prices for health care plans on the Obamacare exchanges due to Congress's failure to extend federal subsidies. Trump opposed the extension.open image in galleryTrump toured a factory and met workers at a restaurant during his campaign stop in Georgia on Thursday (AFP via Getty Images)On Thursday, the president campaigned alongside Republicans running in the upcoming midterm elections, including his pick to take on incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, Rep. Mike Collins. But the spectre of failure loomed large over the president’s shoulder at the event in the form of Herschel Walker, whose doomed Republican bid for Senate was responsible for giving Ossoff a Democratic colleague in Georgia’s Senate delegation in 2022, an embarrassing midterm year for Republicans.Walker stumbled through remarks praising the president at the event, which veered quickly into attacks on transgender Americans.“We’ve got to get out and vote and do the same thing [again], because if w
Share:
Original Source:
Read full article at sourceHelp us improve this article. Share your feedback and suggestions.
