Trump's return to MAGA rallies is a flop
Trump’s return to MAGA rallies is a flop
Republicans have reason to worry if this is how Trump campaigns in 2026
By Sophia Tesfaye
Senior Writer
Published December 10, 2025 9:15AM (EST)
(Salon) Donald Trump’s midterm reboot was supposed to be the triumphant return of a political heavyweight. After Democrats saw impressive gains in off-year elections across the country in November, White House advisers promised the president would return to the campaign trail to storm the 2026 midterms with the same “fire and dominance” he claimed to wield in 2024 — infamous weave and all. But if his Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, rally is any preview of what the GOP should expect, Trump’s promise should be read as a threat. Far from a comeback, his return rally was a flop.
Trump’s team clearly hoped the blue-collar community in one of the country’s most important swing states would give him a friendly launchpad. While I expected a crowd of a few thousand with the nostalgic sound of MAGA chants echoing off metal bleachers, I tuned into Fox News Tuesday evening to find the president in a conference center ballroom inside a local casino that appeared to hold, generously, 200 people. And even that small crowd seemed hesitant, almost resigned, as Trump ranted for nearly an hour. Fox News, of course, dutifully avoided any wide shots. But the truth was clear on screen: The MAGA magic had vanished.
....(snip)....
Even a local waitress brought on stage to support Trump lamented that her paychecks no longer stretch far enough. “Pretty much everything I make goes towards paying the bills,” she said. In response, Trump offered advice in the style of Marie Antoinette.
“Americans must learn to adjust to a lower standard of living,” he told the crowd before suggesting a specific solution to prices hiked by his tariffs, which he continues to insist are a success. “You can give up certain products. You can give up pencils…You don’t need 37 dolls for your daughter. Two or three is nice.”
....(snip)....
In a particularly baffling moment, Trump attacked the concept of energy storage despite Pennsylvania having recently secured hundreds of jobs with a new zinc battery factory. “They want us to go to batteries!” he jeered. “We don’t have battery content. So let’s go to batteries according to these morons that were in our country.” ..................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2025/12/10/trumps-return-to-maga-rallies-is-a-flop/
= new reply since forum marked as read
Seeing Trmp say repeatedly, "Americans must learn to adjust to a lower standard of living", while Dems push positive messages in complete contrast, should swing any election to Dems.
Dems don't need a "master slogan" from the DNC. Every Dem candidate speaks for him/her (especially her 
self well enough. Just couple that with the downward slide of Pedo Orange Grampa Simpson in the leadup to Election Day.
There's no better Trmp-bashing ad than one that takes his rambling utterances out of what little context they have. "You don't need thirty-seven dolls!" doesn't appeal to anyone, it just confounds anyone trying to make sense of the man, and looks absurd next to rational, well-formed statements from Dems.
probably the only time in his life he's been honest.
FOLLOW THE MONEY, in this case it's the lack of money so we can have a higher standard of living.
The rich get richer and the rest of us get a lower standard of living, FOLLOW THE MONEY !
We need a poor vs rich message for our elections. 
😲
about his rally in Mount Pocono Pa. LOL, all they wrote about was a great job he did in wooing the huge crowd.
They must have wrote every word he said except “Americans must learn to adjust to a lower standard of living,”
Have noticed before they are pretty one-sided. Another FQX newspaper. 
