DNC plans weekend of local events to focus on affordability concerns under Trump

By — Matt Brown, Associated Press Matt Brown, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/dnc-plans-weekend-of-local-events-to-focus-on-affordability-concerns-under-trump Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter DNC plans weekend of local events to focus on affordability concerns under Trump Politics Jun 26, 2026 7:16 PM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic National Committee is organizing hundreds of community events across the country this weekend in hopes of harnessing the same concerns about affordability that President Donald Trump capitalized on to return to the White House. The events include school supply giveaways, food bank drives, neighborhood door knockings and organizer trainings. "Everything costs too damn much under Donald Trump and the Republicans," Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement. READ MORE: Key inflation gauge jumps to 3-year high in latest sign of affordability challenges Martin said party members planned "to reach, engage, register, and mobilize voters who will make the difference in races up and down the ballot." Two years ago, Democrats were the ones accused of being indifferent to Americans' anger about rising prices. Now they're pointing the finger at Trump, who has downplayed the impact of lingering inflation. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. He has described affordability concerns as a "hoax" and recently said, "I love the inflation" because he expects costs to drop as he tries to resolve his war with Iran. About one-third of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling the economy, according to an AP-NORC poll from June. That's down from the start of his second term, when 40% approved. About 7 in 10 U.S. adults say the country's economy is "poor," according to an AP-NORC poll from June. That's up from 65% in March, and underscores Americans' ongoing unhappiness with the cost of living, which is being compounded by high gas prices due to the war in Iran. READ MORE: Trump's economic approval rating hits new low, poll finds Slightly more U.S. adults say the Democratic Party would do a better job than the Republican Party in handling inflation and the cost of living, according to a Marquette Law School/SSRS poll from May. Roughly one-third of U.S. adults — 35% — said the Democrats would do a better job, while 28% believe the Republicans would. Roughly one-third say the parties would be the same, or neither would be good. This weekend's events vary by region. In New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Luján Grisham will convene a training for 150 potential campaign staffers. Nevada's statewide campaigns will knock on doors in rural and working class neighborhoods. Others will call voters in swing districts with competitive U.S. House races to talk about the rising price of gas. Some events are geared toward directly helping voters to p