The Trump administration is confident this will happen. If it does, it could be a major turning point for the country.
And a leading Trump official made an economic prediction that could change everything.
President Trump is gearing up for a victory lap across the nation, showcasing the economic wins his administration has delivered as the country heads toward the 2026 midterms. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is leading the charge with bold predictions that America will wrap up the year strong.
“We inherited a mess,” President Trump declared from the White House earlier this week.
“But Democrats caused the affordability problem. … They caused it — we’re fixing it,” he continued, pulling no punches in blaming the opposition for the economic headaches his team is now tackling head-on. This message comes as the White House sharpens its strategy following tough losses for Republicans in off-year elections in New Jersey, Virginia, and New York City, where some districts slipped back after Trump’s 2024 gains.
Despite those setbacks, the administration is pushing back against critics who question the impact of Trump’s aggressive trade stance with China and other partners. A recent Fox News poll showed nearly half of registered voters view these policies as more harmful than helpful, but insiders see this as temporary noise amid real progress.
On CBS News’ “Face the Nation” Sunday, Bessent dismissed the worries outright. He projected that the US is “going to finish the year, despite the [Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer] shutdown, with 3% real GDP growth.” This optimism stands firm even after the government shutdown engineered by Schumer and fellow Democrats from October 1 to November 12 delayed key reports.
Looking ahead, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis is slated to drop third-quarter data on December 23. But early signs from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta point to a bright picture, with annual GDP growth on track for 3.5%.
“The economy has been better than we thought. We’ve had 4% GDP growth in a couple of quarters,” Bessent emphasized.
Inflation numbers, finally released after the Democrat-forced delay, show consumer prices climbing about 3% from September 2024 to September 2025.
A JPMorgan report from last month pegged inflation-adjusted wage growth at 1.6%, while Bessent has spotlighted blue-collar wage increases hitting 1.7% in the first five months of Trump’s term—the best start for any president in almost six decades.
Yet, not everyone’s feeling the surge equally. According to a Bank of America Institute report from October, the lowest-earning households saw just a 1% pay bump year-over-year, while top earners enjoyed a 3.7% jump from October 2024 to October 2025.
Critics are quick to cry foul, claiming these trends are widening the gap between haves and have-nots.
Democrats, smelling blood, are ramping up their “Make America Affordable Again” push, betting that pocketbook pains will swing voters their way in the midterms. They’re banking on frustration to flip seats, but Trump isn’t buying it.
He slammed their message as a “con job” by Democrats, especially since inflation hit a brutal 9.1% peak under Joe Biden. Trump’s fighting back with real solutions, like proposing up to $2,000 in tariff “rebates” to ease the sting for consumers skeptical of his trade battles.
He’s also rolling out 50-year mortgages to make homeownership reachable for first-time buyers squeezed by high costs. And on Monday, Trump announced a $12 billion lifeline for American farmers, zeroing in on soybean growers battered by dragged-out trade talks with China.
At the heart of it all is the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Trump’s landmark legislation from his first year that slashed taxes across the board and axed levies on tips for service workers. “The best way to address the affordability crisis is to give Americans more money in their pockets, which is what this bill has done,” Bessent once stated.
“The American people don’t know how good they have it,” he said to CBS.
“Now, Democrats created scarcity, whether it was in energy or over-regulation, that we are now seeing this affordability problem, and I think next year we’re going to move on to prosperity.”
With moves like these, Trump is positioning America for a comeback.
