President Donald Trump told House Republicans he was offering a “road map” for holding their congressional majorities in this year’s midterm elections, but he spent much of his remarks on cultural issues and grievances, offering few specifics on voters’ top economic concerns even as polling has shown his approval rating under 50%.
President Donald Trump met with House Republicans on Tuesday as party leaders looked for a clear message and policy agenda ahead of this year’s midterm elections, where Republicans are trying to protect a razor-thin House majority and their broader hold on Congress.
In remarks described by NPR as an attempt to provide a campaign “road map,” Trump acknowledged the historical pattern that the party holding the White House often loses ground in midterm elections. “We won everything. But they say that when you win the presidency, you lose the midterm,” Trump said, according to an NPR transcript of the exchange with lawmakers.
NPR reported that, on average, the president’s party loses more than two dozen House seats in midterm elections, and that the losses are typically worse when a president’s approval rating is below 50%. NPR also said Trump’s approval rating has been below 50% and at its lowest point of his second term, which NPR attributed largely to public concerns about the cost of living.
But NPR said Trump did not turn to the economy until 48 minutes into his speech. When he did, NPR reported, Trump pointed to the stock market and defended tariffs—policies the NPR segment said have raised prices on many goods.
Instead, NPR said, Trump spent much of his address emphasizing cultural flashpoints and political messaging. According to the NPR transcript, Trump argued that opposing transgender athletes in sports is a strong campaign issue and suggested he would deploy it close to Election Day. NPR also reported that Trump performed an imitation of a woman lifting weights and said first lady Melania Trump considers the bit “not presidential.”
Other topics Trump raised, NPR reported, included pushing voter ID laws, linking immigration to crime, and trying to lower prices for weight-loss medications, which he referred to as “fat drugs.” NPR also said Trump complained that he does not get enough credit for his accomplishments and quoted him lamenting that “what have you done for me lately?” is how politics works.
The gathering took place the same day that Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a California Republican, died at age 65, NPR reported. The death further tightened Republicans’ already narrow House margin, heightening the challenge of moving legislation.
With Republicans lacking a clear legislative agenda, NPR said one major area where Congress could act is health care—an issue the party has struggled to unify around since the Affordable Care Act became law. “You can own health care. Let — figure it out. Let the money go directly to the people,” Trump told lawmakers, according to the NPR transcript.
NPR noted that Republicans have spent more than a decade debating alternatives to the Affordable Care Act and have opposed extending ACA subsidies, even as the program has reached its highest levels of public popularity. For Republicans representing competitive districts, NPR said, Trump’s broad exhortations did little to answer a basic question: what concrete strategy the party will run on in a volatile election year.
