AMNA NAWAZ: President Trump is in Rome,# Georgia today, talking about affordability and## the economy, a theme he's expected to spotlight# again in next week's State of the Union address.

Our White House correspondent, Liz# Landers, has more on this and joins us now.

So, Liz, as you have been reporting, the president# has been frustrated he's not getting enough credit## when it comes to the economy.

That's why he went# to Georgia to talk about this.

What did he say?

LIZ LANDERS: Well, today he# was focused on affordability,## the economy.

This was also a political visit# for him.

This is a congressional district## that's going to have a special election soon,# so kind of several birds with one stone here.

He was touting the stock market.

He was touting## some signature legislation# that has also passed recently.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United# States: The great Big Beautiful Bill is## basically a tax cut bill.

And when you hear# the fake Democrats talking about it, like,## oh, the great Big Beautiful# Bill, they try and mock it,## put four years' worth of goodies into that# bill and everybody said it couldn't be done.

LIZ LANDERS: The president# visited a restaurant there## and then he gave that speech# at a steel mill in Georgia.

This was his first domestic trip on this# issue talking about affordability in the## economy since he went to Iowa a few weeks ago.# But, Amna, there was some mixed messaging here## today.

He goes off on tangents when# he gives these speeches sometimes,## was talking about the operation in Venezuela a# few weeks ago at the beginning of the year, also## talking about a number of grievances on issues# where he doesn't think he's getting credit on.

So he still has trouble sometimes# sticking directly to the messaging.

AMNA NAWAZ: Liz, your reporting has# also shown that his chief of staff,## Susie Wiles, held a sort of unusual# closed-door strategy session this## week to talk about messaging for the# midterms.

What do we know about that?

LIZ LANDERS: Yes, a source who participated# in the meeting talked to me about this and## said that this was an effort to# get Republicans both inside the## administration and outside allies on the same# message and talking about the same priorities.

This person said that affordability is the number# one issue right now for the White House going into## the midterm election.

Susie Wiles, the chief of# staff, talked about this.

So did James Blair,## who is the deputy chief of staff,# and then pollster Tony Fabrizio,## who's worked with the president for a# while.

They were among the speakers.

And this Republican said that, look,# these issues like affordability on## energy prices on housing, on health# care, fuel prices and groceries,## those are sort of the main tenets# that they're focused on right now.

And this person said, the president has# now been in office for more than a year,## and there are only so many things that# he, the president, can blame Biden,## his predecessor, on at this point,# and recognizing that they need to## get out there and sell their affordability# message to the American public right now.

And so this was about that kind of coordination,# and also, Amna, I would add, getting Cabinet## members out on, not the campaign trail, per se,# but across the country touting these messages.

AMNA NAWAZ: At the same time, we know Democrats# have also sort of landed on affordability as one## of their primary messages going into the midterms.# What do we know about how effective that will be?

LIZ LANDERS: It probably will# be effective, based on polling.

Look, the White House actually doesn't have# bad economic numbers to be touting.

The jobs## report that came out for January was better# than anticipated.

Gas prices are dropping in## some parts of the country.

In Georgia, I was# looking at the average price of gas there is## $2.71, per AAA, which is lower# than it has been in the last year.

The average Georgia resident# is also going to save more than## $3,000 on their taxes this year# from that signature tax bill## that passed.

That's according to the# conservative-leaning Tax Foundation.

But when you look at the poll numbers# of what Americans are actually feeling,## FOX News had a poll, found that 59 percent of# Americans disapprove of President Trump's job## handling on the economy; 68 percent say that# he's not spending enough time on the economy,## so going back to that sort of dual messaging that## the White House is dealing with between# foreign policy and also domestic issues.

AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, we should# underscore, it's February.

LIZ LANDERS: Yes.

AMNA NAWAZ: We'r.. in November at the White House.

Why?# Why is it such a concern for them?

LIZ LANDERS: Because the margins# are so slim in Congress.

Right now,## the Republicans only have a four-seat# majority in the House.

And, historically,## a president loses the midterm elections.

President Trump experienced that in 2018.# Republicans lost 40 House seats in that## election.

And that also gave Democrats# the power to then set into motion some## of those impeachment trials, which we know# President Trump is already thinking about.

He has said in a few speeches recently to# Republicans that you have got to win the## midterms, because, if we don't win the midterms,## it's going to be -- I mean, they're# going to find a reason to impeach me.

So we know that this is sort of a concern# of President Trump's right now.

And also,## if Democrats win control, they can do a number# of other things.

They could stall other kinds## of legislative priorities for the White House# and also investigate the Trump administration.

AMNA NAWAZ: That's our White# House correspondent, Liz Landers.

Liz, thank you.

LIZ LANDERS: Of course.