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GOP Candidates Distance Themselves From Trump Over High Prices

11:35 AM ETConfirmed

Politics Desk

In Short: Republican candidates and elected officials are increasingly distancing themselves from President Donald Trump's agenda as the November midterms approach, NPR reported.

Republican candidates and elected officials are increasingly distancing themselves from President Donald Trump's agenda as the November midterms approach, NPR reported.

Many are now criticizing Trump's handling of key issues like immigration and the ongoing war with Iran, which they say is driving up energy costs.

Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, appearing on CBS’s 'Face the Nation,' urged Trump to focus on cost-of-living issues and address the nation on the Iran conflict.

However, voter dissatisfaction with the economy, particularly high gas prices due to the Iran war, has presented significant challenges for GOP candidates.

Trump is campaigning in red and red-friendly regions to sway public opinion, with his approval rating hovering near 37%, according to Kvrr.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called legislation to protect consumers from unfair rate increases an 'appropriate step forward,' while some House Democrats are campaigning on bills that are unlikely to pass.

In a move aimed at farmers struggling with high diesel prices, Trump announced a new round of $8 billion in taxpayer money during a rally for at-risk GOP Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas.

GOP strategists and economists criticized Trump's proposal to give a $5,000 dividend if the GOP wins the midterms, calling it 'fiscally dangerous' and 'economically backwards.'

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• The president has long insisted on loyalty, but in recent weeks, a growing number of Republican candidates and elected officials have distanced themselves from core pieces of his agenda: from calling for an end to the U.S. war with Iran and relief from high prices, to criticizing his handling of key agenda issues like immigration.

What's still developing

• "You are starting to see the very beginnings of people recognizing that Trump just doesn't have the juice that he once did and starting to push back."
• "Republicans have always been loath to cross him because of his sort of stronghold on the party."
• "feel more comfortable bucking him on things that they really care about."
• "For a long time, Republicans have stuck with the president through thick and thin. But the ones who are facing real trouble at the polls need to differentiate themselves," said Ron Bonjean, a GOP strategist and founder of the public affairs firm ROKK Solutions.
• "Michigan families are struggling with the price of everyday life. Groceries cost too much. We have to bring prices down. The war with Iran needs to end and end quickly. When it does, energy costs will plummet," he said.
• Appearing on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Kennedy (R-La.) stressed that everyday economic burdens — particularly surging prices for housing, healthcare and energy — remain the paramount concern for American voters heading to the ballot box in November.
• In addition to domestic economic pressures, Kennedy urged President Trump to address the nation directly to clearly lay out the GOP administration’s strategic posture regarding ongoing tensions with Iran, suggesting that regional instability and lingering blockades near the Strait of Hormuz have contributed to spikes in global oil and domestic gasoline prices.
• Yet, the Louisiana Republican remains confident party will hold chamber despite economic headwinds and midterms polling.
• CRFB President Maya MacGuineas called the proposal "fiscally dangerous, economically backwards and fundamentally unserious," adding that while "pandering is all too tempting to politicians, the reality is that the more goodies politicians promise, the more ordinary Americans will pay the price at the grocery store, on their mortgage statements or in the burden they leave their children."
• "The doomers and naysayers have consistently doubted President Trump: when he pledged to create the historic Trump Accounts, lowered prescription prices with Most Favored Nations, secured the border with no crossings, cleaned up our streets, ended taxes on tips, grew real wages, renegotiated broken trade deals and reshored key manufacturing back to the United States," White House spokesman Davis Ingle said.
• Competitive Enterprise Institute Senior Economist Ryan Young told FOX Business, "President Trump's $5,000 check proposal is not going to happen, even if Republicans win the midterms."
• “Going to places where you might be able to recruit supporters rather than places where it’d be easy for Democrats to say, ‘Look how closely this candidate is tied to a president whose popularity is pretty low.’” Trump’s approval rating was hovering Wednesday near 37%, with 60% disapproving.

Sources

• NPRlink
• Kasulink
• Oannlink
• Justthenewslink
• Fox Businesslink
• Kvrrlink
• NBC Newslink
• Washingtonexaminerlink
• Politicolink
• Rolling Stonelink
• WarpBeat — background on Trump Accuses Iran of Raising Oil Prices Before Midterms link
• WarpBeat — background on Trump Accuses Iran of Raising Oil Prices Ahead of Midterms link
• WUSA9 — video link