The Latest: Trump speaks on Americans' economic worries and blames Democrats at Pennsylvania rally

President Donald Trump road-tested his claims that he’s tackling Americans’ affordability woes at a Tuesday rally in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania — a trip that came as polling consistently shows that public trust in Trump’s economic leadership has faltered.

Following dismal results for Republicans in last month’s off-cycle elections, the White House has sought to convince voters that the economy will emerge stronger next year and that any anxieties over inflation have nothing to do with Trump.

The president has consistently blamed his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, for inflation even as his own aggressive implementation of policies has pushed up prices that had been settling down after spiking in 2022 to a four-decade high.

The trip hints the dilemma faced by Trump. He wants to take credit for rewiring the U.S. economy with his large tariff hikes and extension of income tax cuts, but he also continues to blame Biden for the increase nationwide in inflation rates that occurred this year during his own presidency. Overall, inflation is tracking at 3% annually, up from 2.3% in April when Trump rolled out a sweeping set of import taxes.

Here's the latest:

Trump says he’ll broker peace between Cambodia and Thailand

After rattling off a list of wars he claims credit for ending, the president said he would use his sway to end renewed combat between Cambodia and Thailand.

The Southeast Asian neighbors recently resumed fighting following a border skirmish. It derails a ceasefire deal that was mediated by Malaysia under pressure from Trump, who threatened to withhold trade unless both sides reached a truce.

“Tomorrow I’ll have to make a phone call,” Trump said. “Who else could say, ‘I’m going to make a phone call and stop a war of two very powerful countries, Thailand and Cambodia’?”

Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on both sides to live up to their peace agreement.

Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro appears alongside Utah governor as Trump speaks

As Trump was speaking in Pennsylvania, the state’s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, was in Washington appearing alongside Utah GOP Gov. Spencer Cox at the National Cathedral for an event focused on political civility.

“Leaders have a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity,” Shaprio said, recounting the political violence that has occurred in his state, including an attempted assassination against Trump and an arson attack at the governor’s mansion.

Cox also called for more productive political discourse. He said the impetus for that must come from voters, rather than Washington.

“If we think that a president of the United States or a governor is going to change where we are right now, we are fooling ourselves,” he said. “I truly believe that the people of our country are the ones who are going to have to change this.”

The event was interrupted several times by protestors who were escorted from the Cathedral.

Trump wraps up Pennsylvania rally

He spoke for just over 90 minutes.

Trump in his second term has largely eschewed the raucous rallies that defined his three presidential campaigns and his first term. But he seemed to enjoy himself Tuesday, reviving many of his applause lines as he went after his critics and boasted about his own record.

He ended the rally as he has so many before: lingering on stage as the Village People’s “YMCA” played, pointing at people in the crowd and briefly wagging his arms in what has become a signature dance move of his.

Trump heaps praise on writer of speeches he doesn’t read

The president gave a shout-out to his head speechwriter more than an hour into a speech that was mostly ad-libbed.

“I haven’t read practically anything off this stupid teleprompter,” Trump said. “And then my speechwriters keep getting awards for some of the finest speeches, and I haven’t even read them.”

It was one of many quips from an ebullient Trump who seemed to have fun working his audience.

Trump introduces people he says will benefit from the tax code changes in his ‘big, beautiful bill’

“The no tax on tips is incredible. No tax on overtime is incredible for my husband,” said Megan Hemhauser, whom Trump invited on stage to briefly speak. “And it all comes back to our family. It saves us and it’s for the future of our children.”

Another woman, waitress Donna Zajack, said her newly tax-free tips will help with her daughter’s tuition.

Trump pointed to one man, saying he plans to buy a house with the money he’ll save from tax-free overtime. The man was not invited on stage.

Trump’s new visual aids

Trump is rolling out new charts as he makes the case that the economy is thriving despite Americans’ concerns about the cost of living.

“Biden Price Increases & Trump Price Decreases,” one chart’s title reads.

The charts were displayed on large screens during his speech in Pennsylvania.

Trump defends foreign travel, a source of division in the GOP

The president lashed out at “the stupid people” who criticized his travels abroad including a May trip to the Middle East.

Trump went on a tangent about the issue as he recalled a conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The issue has been a source of tension with some Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Trump defended his trips, saying they generated billions in foreign investment for the U.S.

“Somebody complained that I was making a foreign trip,” Trump said at his rally in Pennsylvania. “They say, ‘He shouldn’t be leaving the country.’ Yeah, let’s sit around and twiddle our thumbs.”

Trump says Guardsman shot and severely wounded near White House got out of bed

Trump says a West Virginia National Guardsman who was shot last month while patrolling in Washington, D.C., is recovering.

“Today I got a call that he got up from bed. Do you believe that? He got up. He got up,” Trump said of 24-year-old U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe.

“Now, he didn’t speak,” Trump added. “He’s not ready for that yet. I mean, he got hit in the head.”

Trump said U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, who was killed in the shooting, is “looking at us from heaven, from above.”

Trump’s message: ‘They caused the high prices’

Trump is determined to blame Biden and Democrats for consumer prices that have risen during the year he returned to the White House.

He summed his message up succinctly: “They caused the high prices and we’re bringing them down.”

“If I had one message tonight ...” he added, before breaking off on a two-minute tangent recognizing members of his White House staff. “But that’s our message,” he said, returning to his point. “They gave you high prices. They gave you the highest inflation in history. And we’re giving you — We’re bringing those prices down rapidly.”

The president has consistently blamed Biden for inflation even as his own aggressive implementation of policies has pushed up prices that had been settling down after spiking in 2022 to a four-decade high.

A Democrat is elected Miami mayor for first time in nearly 30 years

Eileen Higgins defeated Republican Emilio Gonzalez, who was endorsed by Trump.

Higgins spoke frequently in the Hispanic-majority city about Trump’s immigration crackdown, saying she has heard of many people in Miami who were worried about family members being detained.

The local race drew attention from the both Democratic and Republican parties and leaders.

Higgins’ victory provides Democrats another boost ahead of a midterm election when the GOP is looking to maintain its influence in Florida, including in a Hispanic-majority district in Miami-Dade County.

The area has shifted increasingly rightward politically in recent years, and the city may become the home of Trump’s presidential library.

Trump says his chief of staff told him to start campaigning again for midterm elections

Trump says his White House chief of staff Susie Wiles told him he needs to start campaigning to help Republicans in the midterm elections.

“She said, ‘We have to start campaigning, sir.’ I said, ‘I won,’” Trump told the crowd at his rally in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania.

But Trump says Wiles said the president was needed to help Republicans in next year’s elections, which will decide control of the House and Senate. Voters generally favor the party out of power in the White House during the midterm elections.

Wiles told the online conservative talk show “The Mom View” that Trump’s return to the campaign trail would help to turn out voters who would otherwise sit out the election.

Trump’s rally has the same feel as his campaign events, despite smaller venue

He’s mixing ad-libbed commentary with his written remarks boasting about the economy and going after his enemies.

He has taken several digs at the “fake news” and his predecessor, “sleepy Joe Biden,” drawing cheers and laughter from his enthusiastic audience.

Trump appears at Pennsylvania rally

Trump is taking the stage in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania.

He walked out to Lee Greenfield’s “God Bless the USA,” the song that has traditionally marked the start of his campaign rallies. He was met with chants of “USA, USA!”

Judge extends order blocking health department from sharing Medicaid data with deportation officials

U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco had initially halted the data sharing in August, but the order covering 22 states that had sued the administration over privacy concerns was set to expire Tuesday.

Chhabria said in a court hearing it will now remain in effect until Jan. 5, a timeframe the judge said will give attorneys for the federal government and the states time to file further briefs. The judge said he wanted attorneys to lay out their reasoning as to whether he had the authority to, for example, allow the policy to be used narrowly only pertaining to non-citizens enrolled in Medicaid but not more broadly, saying that thus far, “the scope of the policy, who it applies to, has not been adequately explained.”

Chhabria said he didn’t anticipate there being another hearing before he issued a ruling, noting that the new timeframe and briefing schedule would also give both sides time to petition an appellate court before the Jan. 5 expiration date.

Democratic Leader seeks all-House briefing on deadly boat strikes

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is asking for Hegseth to brief all members on the strikes near Venezuela.

“We need an all-member briefing for the House of Representatives,” Jeffries told The Associated Press.

“They haven’t committed to it,” he said of Hegseth. “But we’re going to continue to press our case.”

US military flies 2 fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela

The move Tuesday appears to be the closest American warplanes have come to the South American country’s airspace since the start of the Trump administration’s pressure campaign in the region.

Public flight tracking websites showed a pair of U.S. Navy F/A-18 fighter jets fly over the body of water bounded by Venezuela for more than 30 minutes.

A U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations, confirmed that the jets conducted a “routine training flight” and said they stayed in international airspace. The official likened it to previous exercises aimed at showing the reach of U.S. planes.

The move is the latest action that the U.S. military has taken as it has built up warships in the region and launched deadly strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats. Those attacks are drawing new scrutiny from lawmakers.