Trump turns to mid-term, strength after China as Iran continues

President Donald Trump has returned to the state and is therefore the focus of his administration, even as the Iran war and the fallout from his China visit remain major issues.

Trump and his top officials have been holding events across the US this week aimed at touting his domestic accomplishments — a remarkable pivot after months of dominating the headlines over major foreign policy matters on Iran, China, Cuba, Venezuela and elsewhere.

Trump is set to unveil his latest effort to reduce health care costs on Monday afternoon, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will travel to a campaign event in Kentucky and Vice President J.D. Vance will attend a manufacturing-focused event in Missouri.

The apparent shift, days after Trump’s return from Beijing, comes ahead of the fast-approaching 2026 midterm elections, where Democrats hope to retake at least one chamber of Congress and push back forcefully against the president’s policy agenda.

They are aiming to capitalize on Trump’s declining approval ratings, which have hit new lows in many cases. recent survey Since most Americans express negative views about the Iran war and the state of the economy.

Those pressures have helped make affordability a central theme of the midterms. Trump’s announcement has been billed as a “Healthcare Affordability Event” at the White House.

Mike Nellis, a Democratic strategist and host of the Substack show “Endless Urgency,” said the driving factor is that “the American electorate is angry about the economy.”

Trump was elected on a promise to reduce Biden-era inflation and reduce high prices, and “that didn’t happen,” Nellis told CNBC. “So the American people are very angry.”

“The economy is a major campaign issue,” and Trump “has recently had the lowest data on the economy of any of his tenure,” Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said in a phone interview.

“Put this on top of gas prices, you’re looking at major red flags,” he said.

A New York Times/Siena College poll published Monday found Trump’s overall approval dropped to 37%, a new low for a second term, as nearly two-thirds of voters said they disapproved of his handling of the economy.

The president is expected to announce an expansion of the number of discounted drugs offered through the administration’s TrumpRx website, a White House official told CNBC ahead of the 4:30 p.m. ET event.

On Wednesday, Trump is scheduled to travel to Connecticut to deliver the commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

Meanwhile, Hegseth, who is leading ongoing military operations in Iran, is set to travel to Hebron, Ky., to speak at an event with Ed Galren, the Trump-backed U.S. House candidate challenging incumbent GOP Rep. Thomas Massie.

The unusual image of a sitting defense secretary attending an openly political event and doing so while prosecuting an active war has raised eyebrows.

The Pentagon said in a statement to CNBC that Hegseth was attending the event “in his individual capacity.”

according to Pentagon ethical guidelinesCivilian officials appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate are prohibited from participating in certain partisan political activities under the Hatch Act and Department policy.

“No taxpayer dollars will be used to facilitate his travel. His participation has been thoroughly investigated and cleared by lawyers, including the War Department’s Office of General Counsel, and does not violate the Hatch Act or any other applicable federal statute,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in the statement.

The campaign event, organized by the MAGA-aligned America First Works on the eve of the state’s primary elections, comes as Trump continues his vitriolic attacks on Massie, whose clashes with GOP leadership have made him a staunch foe of the president.

Trump continued his effort to oust Massie on Monday morning, calling him “the worst congressman in the long and long history of the Republican Party” in a Truth Social post.

“He is an obstructionist and an idiot. Vote him out of office tomorrow, Tuesday. It will be a great day for America!” Trump wrote.

Vance, who has been deeply involved in diplomatic efforts with Iranian counterparts, is also scheduled to deliver remarks at a manufacturing-focused event at a facility in Kansas City, Mo.

The domestic focus follows Trump’s return from his much-awaited two-day summit in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The meetings were full of spectacle and high stakes, but ended with few concrete deals or other concrete outcomes.

—megan casella Contributed to this report.