U.S. President Donald Trump critics launch new group to highlight rising cost

Bipartisan Cost Coalition formed to combat rising costs under Trump administration, using various media platforms for outreach.

A bipartisan group of President Donald Trump's critics is launching a new organisation, dubbed the Cost Coalition, to highlight Mr. Trump's struggle to control rising costs in the early months of his new Presidency.

The group expects to be especially active ahead of upcoming elections in Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, according to preliminary plans shared with The Associated Press this week ahead of a formal announcement. The Cost Coalition will push its message through a combination of paid advertising, social media, press interviews and on-the-ground events with small business leaders, veterans and the faith community.

Editorial | Self-inflicted injury: On Trump tariffs and the U.S. economy 

Terry Holt, a former spokesperson to former President George W. Bush and former House Speaker John Boehner, both Republicans, is serving as a senior communications adviser along with Andrew Bates, a former spokesperson for former President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

“In 100 days, Donald Trump put the best-performing economy in the world on a crash course toward recession. Trump's tariffs — the biggest middle class tax hike in modern history — are making everyday prices skyrocket and wreaking havoc for businesses large and small,” Mr. Holt and Mr. Bates said in a joint statement.

“Next up are grossly inflationary tax cuts for the wealthy that will only saddle future generations with staggering debt. Whether you're a Republican, Democrat, or anything else, Donald Trump's agenda is an economic crisis threatening your livelihood and standard of living.”

The new group enters a political landscape already packed with powerful voices fighting to shape the national conversation little more than 100 days after Mr. Trump began his second term. The Republican president vowed to “end inflation” on Day 1, but he has focused more on immigration, culture wars and exacting revenge against his political adversaries while launching a global trade war that has pushed some costs higher and threatens to send the U.S. economy into recession.