President Donald Trump returned to Northeast Pennsylvania on Tuesday, rallying supporters at a casino and resort in Mount Pocono with a message centered on the economy — even as protesters challenged his claims and called the visit out of touch.
Inside, Trump insisted inflation is “no longer a problem” and accused Democrats of turning affordability into a political “hoax.” His remarks frequently drifted toward familiar grievances and revived first-term immigration rhetoric.
Outside, the tone was sharply different.
“The protest we were at was organized … outside a ShopRite that was along the path of the motorcade,” said Liam Mayo of the River Reporter. “There were between 50 and 100 people I’d say … and the people we asked for their thoughts on Trump coming to speak about affordability considered it a little bit ludicrous, saying like generally he didn’t really know about affordability or painting him as out of touch.”
Many demonstrators pointed to the irony of the former president delivering an affordability-themed speech at a casino.
Among those protesting was Pike County resident Isabelle Hodgkins-Smith, who has helped organize demonstrations in Milford since April. She criticized both Trump and Rep. Rob Bresnahan, the Republican representing Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District.
“It’s pure BS,” she said. “Essentially he doesn’t care about affordability. He’s here to try to get Bresnahan re-elected, who has done absolutely nothing except hurt the county. And he knows that Paige Cognetti is a much better candidate and so he’s starting here and trying to hurt as much as he can in Pennsylvania.”
Cognetti, the Mayor of Scranton, is challenging Bresnahan in the 2026 midterms.
Wayne County resident Julie Pease also voiced frustration, citing economic strain and what she described as the fallout from Trump-era tariffs.
Pease said the price pressures are obvious. “Everything is more expensive now,” she said. “If you just go to the grocery store then you feel the impact of inflation, of the affordability crisis we’re in.”
She also pointed to what she said were the tariff impacts on her brother’s steel manufacturing business.
“And these tariffs have killed a lot of business,” she said. “My brother is an independent and he is in the steel manufacturing industry. His business is dead because he did a lot of business overseas and now with the tariffs, they’re not buying.”
Inside the venue, the Scranton Times-Tribune reported a packed crowd.
Image: Protesters hold up signs as the presidential motorcade passes through during a Tuesday, December 9 visit from President Trump to Mount Pocono, PA. (Credit: Liam Mayo/River Reporter)