Republicans' Tricky Dance With Trump Before Midterm Elections

With about 32 days left before midterm elections, President Donald Trump is hitting the campaign trail to help Republican candidates across the country. Many voters are unhappy about high prices and a war with Iran, and polls show that Trump is not very popular right now. Republicans are hoping they can convince Americans to focus on what they say are good things the party has done, even as some races are becoming harder to win.

Trump spoke to a group at the White House this week and said he thinks his team has done a great job running the country but a poor job telling people about it. He posted the same idea on Truth Social, his social media platform, two more times during the week. Trump joked that he thought he was done campaigning after winning the presidency, but he has decided that he is the best person to spread his party's message.

Republicans are traveling to states where elections could go either way, making promises about lower energy bills, new factory jobs, and a growing economy. However, many voters are struggling to pay for everyday things like food and gas, and they are growing tired of the war with Iran. That war has pushed up energy prices, which makes everything cost more. Even though the country is close to full employment — meaning almost everyone who wants a job has one — many people still feel the financial squeeze in their daily lives.

The Republican Party does not have many big new laws to point to as wins. One bright spot is that tax cuts on tips, overtime pay, and some retirement benefits led to bigger tax refunds for many Americans this year. Lawmakers also tried to pass a bill to stop the building of AI data centers from raising electricity bills, but disagreements within the Republican Party and Democratic opposition blocked it from becoming law.

Trump is trying to boost his party by visiting states that already lean Republican, like Oklahoma and Alabama. By holding big rallies there, he hopes to energize voters and get attention from local TV stations that reach people in nearby competitive areas. He also announced new projects this week, like a steel mill in Iowa and a plan for a fossil fuel pipeline in Alaska, to show voters that Republicans are creating jobs.

Not everyone in the Republican Party agrees with Trump on every issue. Some Republican candidates are trying to distance themselves from his positions on the Iran war, AI data centers, and strict immigration rules. On Wednesday, Trump urged voters to look past how they feel about him and vote for the Republican agenda instead, saying, 'Even if you don't like somebody so much, it doesn't matter. It's a vote for good things.'

The battle for control of the House of Representatives is also being shaped by redistricting, which is when states redraw the boundary lines of voting districts. Nine states have new maps, and Republicans gained an advantage in 15 districts, while Democrats only improved in six. Even so, Democrats are still favored to win control of the House, partly because Trump's low approval ratings are hurting Republican candidates. Only about 40 of the 435 House seats are truly competitive, so a small number of voters could decide which party takes charge.

On the international stage, the United States has told France and Germany to release emergency diesel fuel supplies to help lower global fuel prices, or face a ban on U.S. diesel exports. The European Union held an emergency meeting on Friday to talk about the situation. Leaders from several countries also held a call to discuss whether they should release their fuel stockpiles, showing how the war with Iran is creating problems far beyond the Middle East.