Priorities for Trump, voters differ

Bart Jansen

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s three-day visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping was filled with pomp and circumstance: a red-carpet arrival, a tour of the National Archives and a state dinner of yellow squash velouté and sesame-crusted sea bass.

But the hearty welcome left a bad taste in the mouth of the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

'Quite frankly, had the White House asked me for advice, I would have suggested the president not invite Xi Jinping to Washington for such a lavish welcome here in the United States of America based on all of the troubling issues we have with President Xi and the Chinese Communist Party,' Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, said on the Senate floor Sept. 22.

Wicker, one of a growing number of Republicans who have publicly disagreed with the president, may also strike a chord with voters who have told pollsters that the cost of living will be their top priority in the upcoming elections. Lopsided majorities have disapproved of Trump’s handling of foreign affairs and the economy.

Trump has pledged to campaign heavily during the month before the Nov. 3 midterm elections in about three dozen competitive races, including traditional Republican territory in Alaska and Texas.

'In some cases, you can be losing by a lot and we’ll bring you over the line,' Trump told Republicans at a Rose Garden dinner Sept. 2.

But since Labor Day, the traditional start of the campaign season, Trump has focused on foreign affairs. He traveled to Ireland on Sept. 12 and 13 for a meeting with the prime minister and a golf tournament. He also spoke at the United Nations on Sept. 22, threatening to 'annihilate' Iran and predicting the failure of Cuba’s government.

Meanwhile, high gas prices and record-high diesel costs spurred some Republican candidates to distance themselves from Trump by calling for an end to the war with Iran or removing references to Trump’s endorsement from campaign websites.

John Pitney Jr., a politics professor at Claremont McKenna College in California, said involvement in foreign affairs isn’t a problem by itself for Trump because people expect presidents to manage foreign policy. Trump’s problem is what he says about foreign affairs, Pitney said.

'In May, he said he was focused on Iran and didn’t care ‘even a little bit’ about the war’s economic impact,' Pitney said. 'That hurts. The war itself hurts. People get a reminder of the cost every time they drive past a gas station.'

Xi visit draws criticism from key Senate Republican

Trump said he had 'a very good meeting' with Xi on Sept. 24, without elaborating. Key topics of conversation were about technology, security and artificial intelligence.

'As the leaders of our two nations, President Xi and I both understand that we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure, and we’ve never gotten along better,' Trump said.

'A lot of very positive things happened,' Trump said Sept. 25 while hosting Xi for tea in the White House’s Red Room, adding that farmers would be happy, without elaborating. 'Great things for both countries. It’s been just very, very productive.'

But Wicker said he hoped Trump would put the pressure on Xi over multiple issues 'while the servers are switching from chardonnay to cabernet at the fancy state dinner.' Wicker said Trump should press Xi on whether China provided Iran with satellite imagery that led to the deaths of American troops, harassment of Filipino fishermen and the status of Taiwan.

Asked about Wicker’s comments, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters it is vital for the leaders of the world’s two largest economies and militaries to meet.

'The idea that we would not interact with them at the highest levels is irresponsible,' Rubio said at the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 23. 'It’s outrageous.'

Trump has argued that any hardship to the economy is worth the price of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He predicted oil prices would fall sharply as soon as the war ends. Trump told reporters Sept. 25 while touring the National Archives with Xi that they had discussed the war with Iran. 'I think we’re going to do great,' Trump said.

Polls: Disapproval over handling of economy, foreign affairs

Trump’s approval rating fell to 32% – the lowest of his political career – as his fellow Republicans soured on his handling of the cost of living amid the unpopular war with Iran, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll of 1,277 adults nationwide released Sept. 21.

Just 17% of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, which the poll found was the top issue Americans say will determine how they vote in November. Some 82% of poll respondents – including 9 in 10 Democrats and three-quarters of Republicans – said the conflict would likely go on for an 'extended period of time.'

The cost of groceries, gas and health care rank as top pain points for rural voters, according to an Associated Press poll, in partnership with KFF.

Nearly 7 in 10 rural voters supported Trump in the 2024 election. But about two-thirds of rural voters were 'very' or 'somewhat' worried about being able to afford gas or health care, compared to about one-third who were not, according to the survey of more than 2,000 registered voters surveyed over two weeks in late August.

About 60% of voters were concerned about the cost of groceries or monthly utilities, compared to 40% who weren’t, the poll found.

About two-thirds of registered voters disapproved of Trump’s handling of the economy and the war with Iran, according to a Quinnipiac University poll that surveyed 970 registered voters Sept. 3-6.

About 60% of respondents disapproved of Trump’s handling of Russia’s war with Ukraine, trade with Canada and foreign policy.

'While neither [party] gets high marks generally, the Democrats are judged more empathetic when it comes to the concerns of voters,' said Tim Malloy, a Quinnipiac University polling analyst.

Just 17% of respondents to a Reuters/Ipsos poll of 1,277 adults approved of President Donald Trump’s handling of the cost of living.

Adam Gray/REUTERS file