Overview
- Trump advisers met behind closed doors in Washington to urge campaigns to spotlight Republican tax cuts and inflation policies while keeping the president out of the center of midterm races.
- Attendees were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements, yet details leaked as a predicted Republican win in a Virginia redistricting vote instead gave Democrats a favorable map.
- A Reuters/Ipsos poll found Trump’s job approval at 36% and AAA reported average gasoline near $4 per gallon, undercutting the perceived value of recent tax relief.
- Republican National Committee officials say Trump remains the strongest driver of conservative turnout even as some GOP operatives privately question his political staying power.
- War with Iran has strained the economy and kept the Strait of Hormuz constrained, raising energy costs that complicate the party’s promise of cheaper living for voters.