Robert Reich and other critics say President Donald Trump’s Christmas speech in rural Pennsylvania this week — in which he claimed lower prices, bigger paychecks and urged families to cut back on purchases — deepened doubts about his economic message after an Oval Office interview earlier this week in which he touted the economy as the greatest in history but acknowledged many voters are not feeling gains.Columnists noted the speech veered into attacks on Ilhan Omar, mockery of transgender people and an insult aimed at Joe Biden while Trump praised a rising stock market and 401(k) accounts even though about 92 percent of stock wealth is held by the richest 10 percent and only about a third of Americans have retirement plans.Analysts including Dace Potas and Reich point to rising tariffs, pressure on the Federal Reserve, recent Democratic wins such as Eileen Higgins in Miami and Republican defections in Indiana as signs that economic pain and political backlash are eroding Trump’s standing ahead of the 2026 midterms.