Trump says he plans to campaign for 32 days before midterm elections

US president brushes aside concerns about his popularity as voters express frustration over the cost of living and war on Iran.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at the White House on September 29 [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]

United States President Donald Trump has announced that he will spend 32 days travelling and campaigning for the midterm elections in November, which will decide which party controls Congress.

The upcoming race is widely seen as a referendum on Trump’s second term in office, and it could decide whether his political agenda faces legislative hurdles for the next two years.

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Trump has even speculated that, if Democrats take control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, he could face a third impeachment.

Still, on Tuesday, Trump expressed optimism as he spoke to reporters. He also denied that Republican candidates are seeking to distance themselves from his administration ahead of the vote.

“You love me, and I love them,” Trump said, as he outlined his plans for a multi-state tour to support Republican midterm contenders.

“Just so you understand, they all want me to go. I’m one person. They all want me to go campaign,” he added.

Trump described his travel itinerary as “literally a 32-day tour”, set to include visits to states such as Texas and Ohio, where toss-up races are under way.

But critics have speculated that Trump’s slipping popularity could spell trouble for the Republican Party, which hopes to hold onto its majorities in both chambers of Congress.

Recent polls suggest that Trump’s approval has fallen to new lows as voters express frustration over the rising cost of living , caused in part by Trump’s decision to launch a war against Iran that has roiled global energy markets.

A Wall Street Journal poll released last week found that Trump’s approval rating sits at 37 percent.

That marks the lowest rate for a president in the lead-up to the midterms since the outlet began conducting the poll in 1990, when George HW Bush was in office.

Still, Trump has positioned himself as a central figure in the Republican Party’s bid to win the midterm races.

This month, the party held its first-ever midterm political convention in Texas, with Trump delivering a keynote address.

Trump’s allies have also pledged that the Republican leader would “campaign like it’s 2024 again”, a reference to his successful second bid for the presidency.

Supporters have speculated he could have success in mobilising so-called low-propensity voters, who are considered less likely to cast a ballot.

Some of his tactics have attracted outcry, however. The Department of Homeland Security, which has played a central role in Trump’s mass deportation push, has recently come under scrutiny for using $20m to create campaign-style advertisements lauding the Republican leader’s accomplishments.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers have slammed those efforts as an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds that could violate anti-propaganda laws.

“We should not have to remind you that using government funding to create or air political ads like the ones that have been running over the last few days is illegal and a shockingly corrupt misuse of taxpayer dollars,” Democratic Senator Patty Murray wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in a letter on Tuesday.

美国总统对民众支持率的担忧不以为然，尽管选民对生活成本和伊朗战争表示不满。

9月29日，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在白宫向记者发表讲话。[乔纳森·恩斯特/路透社]

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普宣布，他将用32天时间进行巡回竞选活动，为11月的中期选举造势。此次中期选举将决定哪个党派控制国会。

即将到来的选举被广泛视为对特朗普第二个总统任期的一次全民公投，它可能决定他在未来两年内的政治议程是否会面临立法障碍。

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特朗普甚至推测，如果民主党人控制了众议院和参议院，他可能会面临第三次弹劾。

不过，特朗普周二在接受记者采访时仍表达了乐观态度。他还否认共和党候选人在投票前试图与他的政府划清界限。

“你们爱我，我也爱他们，”特朗普在概述他为支持共和党中期选举候选人而进行的跨州巡回演讲计划时说道。

“我得让你们明白，他们都想让我去。我只是一个人。他们都想让我去参加竞选，”他补充道。

特朗普将他的行程描述为“一场为期 32 天的巡回之旅”，其中包括访问德克萨斯州和俄亥俄州等选情胶着的州。

但批评人士推测，特朗普支持率下滑可能会给共和党带来麻烦，共和党希望保住其在国会两院的多数席位。

最近的民调显示，由于选民对不断上涨的生活成本感到不满，特朗普的支持率已跌至新低。生活成本上涨的部分原因是特朗普决定对伊朗发动战争，这场战争扰乱了全球能源市场。

《华尔街日报》上周公布的一项民意调查显示，特朗普的支持率为37%。

这是自该机构 1990 年开始进行民意调查以来，总统在中期选举前夕的最低支持率，当时乔治·H·W·布什担任总统。

尽管如此，特朗普已将自己定位为共和党赢得中期选举的核心人物。

本月，该党在德克萨斯州举行了有史以来第一次中期选举政治大会，特朗普发表了主旨演讲。

特朗普的盟友也承诺，这位共和党领导人将“像2024年那样再次竞选”，指的是他第二次成功竞选总统。

支持者推测，他可能会成功动员所谓的低投票意愿选民，这些选民被认为不太可能投票。

然而，他的一些策略也引发了强烈抗议。国土安全部在特朗普的大规模驱逐移民行动中扮演了核心角色，该部门最近因花费2000万美元制作竞选式广告，赞扬这位共和党领导人的政绩而受到审查。

民主党和共和党议员都抨击这些举措是滥用纳税人资金，可能违反反宣传法。

“我们不应该需要提醒您，使用政府资金制作或播放像过去几天里播放的那种政治广告是非法的，是对纳税人资金令人震惊的腐败滥用，”民主党参议员帕蒂·默里周二在一封致国土安全部长马克韦恩·穆林的信中写道。