Karl Rove: JD Vance's Fox News appearance was “clean up on aisle four” for Trump's economic messaging
Rove: Trump “overpromised on the economy” at the State of the Union
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From the February 25, 2026, edition of Fox News' America Reports
SANDRA SMITH (ANCHOR): If it comes down to the economy, does it benefit Republicans or Democrats?
KARL ROVE (FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR): You mean this fall or 2028?
SMITH: Let's say this fall.
ROVE: Yeah, well, I thought this was clean up on aisle four, and good for Vance to do it. I think one of the — I thought the president had the best use of guests of any president that we've seen since Ronald Reagan first did that in 1982. But the problem was he overpromised on the economy. ‘The economy is great. Things are solved, the problem’s over.’ That's not where the American people are, and Vance came out today to lay out the right message, which is, ‘We're making progress. We've got a lot to do. We understand people are hurting.’
SMITH: I remember standing with you and others on Inauguration Day and thinking in his speech, talking about bringing those prices down because affordability was such a big issue under the Biden years. And I remember thinking if you were to focus more on inflation, he'd be following through on those promises. Inflation has slowed greatly. Getting those prices down is an incredible challenge for anyone.