Former Biden spokesperson: Trump doesn't want Democrats to talk about promise to lower prices

Former White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said Monday that President Trump does not want Democrats to remind voters of his campaign promise to lower prices.

“[T]he last thing President Trump wants now is for Democrats to talk about his broken promise to lower costs right away. The telltale sign is that he has stopped talking about it himself,” Bates, who served as a spokesperson for former President Biden's 2020 campaign and in the Biden White House, wrote Monday in a Fox News op-ed.

“He knows that with an aggressive economic message that reveals the GOP’s establishment-bought true colors, Democrats can ignite a 2026 midterm backlash,” Bates continued.

In the op-ed, Bates laid out a messaging strategy for Democrats going into the 2026 midterms, urging them to focus on the economy and resist responding to Trump’s “distractions.”

He also attacked Trump for his tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China and for “selling Americans’ government off to wealthy special interests.”

“Regardless of Trump’s distractions, Democrats should constantly remind voters: ‘We were promised 2019 prices out of the gate. That was the whole point. Where the hell are they? I just see Republicans gearing up to cut taxes for the wealthy, take health care from millions, and raise costs. We should be making life more affordable, investing in the middle class, and having billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share in taxes,’” Bates wrote.

He said that while Democrats should still be “fighting hard for all our values,” including women’s health issues and other “bedrock rights,” a message of economic opportunity must be “front and center.”

“We should unmistakably position ourselves on the side of the American Dream,” Bates said. “On the side of everyday people and of economic competition – against rich, consolidated special interests. Capitalism thrives the most when everyone who works hard and plays by the rules has a fair shot.”

Bates also had some tactical advice for Democrats. He said they shouldn’t automatically oppose everything that Trump does and should make arguments rooted in values, rather than “wonkishness.” He said Democrats should go on more podcasts and media organizations across the political spectrum.

Bates also said Democrats should push back against Republican suggestions that all Democrats are out of the mainstream, especially when it comes to crime and border issues.

“When the next ‘abolish ICE’ or ‘defund the police’ surfaces on our side of the aisle—or when even a few of our allies further the misimpression that we don’t want to earn the votes of people from every background—party leaders should stamp it out fast, and plant our flag in the mainstream,” Bates said. “Then pivot back to how Republicans are ripping Americans off to pay for their tax cuts for the rich.”

The 2024 election cycle left many Democrats demoralized, and insiders have been fuming about the party’s muted response to Trump’s first two weeks in office.

Strategists say the reaction to Trump is inconsistent and not aggressive enough to combat Trump, who has taken a series of steps to remake the government, from removing agency watchdogs to eliminating government diversity programs.

Bates encouraged Democrats to “shake off the paralysis” and “terminate the impulse to play into Trump’s hand.”

He noted voters now have high expectations for the GOP, writing, “It’s time to take the initiative, and define ourselves and Republicans on our terms: on the economy.”

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.