Buried deep inside President Donald Trump’s typical campaign trail stump speech have been brief mentions about boosting voters’ take-home pay, which could boost Republican congressional candidates in November.
But there are worries in GOP circles that the president is not focused enough on his economic stewardship, amid sagging poll numbers, conflict with Iran and a slow start to the kind of “robust” campaign schedule promised late last year by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
GOP strategist Doug Heye said heading into the midterms, “the No. 1 issue is affordability.”
“Time not spent on that is a missed opportunity, at best,” Heye said. “At worst, when it’s Trump-centric honorifics, Trump is essentially telling voters, ‘I don’t care what’s important to you, here’s what’s important to me.’”
Trump raised eyebrows again last week when he responded to a question about inflation rates by saying, “I love the inflation” — a line congressional Democrats injected into their political messaging.
