President Trump said Saturday that “fake news” attacks on him can’t hide the thriving economy or that Americas are doing better under his administration’s policies.

At an event in Cleveland, Mr. Trump said he is paying close attention to the age-old political question: Are you better off now?

“I always say this, how are we doing now compared to [before] the election. And so far the answer has always been better or much better. So we’re doing good,” the president said.

When he arrived at the Cleveland airport, Mr. Trump said, a coal miner in the crowd that greeted him told him that business is booming.

“He said, ‘I haven’t had a day off since the day you were elected,’” Mr. Trump said at the event to highlight benefits of the tax cut law he signed in December. “In Ohio, you know what’s going on. The companies are starting to come back. They’re expanding.”

Capitol Hill Democrats, who unanimously opposed the tax cuts, argue that they are skewed to benefit wealthy Americans and will create budget shortfalls that Republicans will use as an excuse to cut social programs.

Mr. Trump noted the record low unemployment rate of 3.9 percent in April and the 35 percent gain in the stock market since the election.

“This is America first now, folks. This is America first,” he said.

The president also revealed in the Rasmussen Reports daily tracking poll that showed he had a 51 percent approval rating, with 33 percent saying they “strongly approve.”

“Then you turn to the fake news and they say, ‘Donald Trump, who is not very popular.’ How do they get away with it?” said Mr. Trump.

He noted that his approval rating is higher than President Obama’s at the same time in his presidency.

“The people are smart. They get it. You see the jobs,” said Mr. Trump.

Ohio resident Sharlene Thornton, who participated in the event, told of the tough times her family endured after her husband lost his steel mill job in 2012 and she became legally blind. Only recently did her husband, Kevin, find a new job. They were still struggling, she said.

But after the Tax Cut & Jobs Act, she said her husband’s paycheck had between $200 and $300 more because of reduced withholding for taxes.

“I was amazed. It really is working,” said Mrs. Thornton. “I want to thank you Mr. President for making our lives a lot more enjoyable.”