WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President is making a rare visit to California and Nevada this week to try to draw contrasts with Democrats on , seeking to shore up support for Republicans in that will determine whether his party keeps control of Congress.
The Republican president has struggled to as and have overshadowed the stock market gains he often talks about along with .
Trump will visit the Los Angeles area on Tuesday to speak at a fundraising dinner for the Republican National Committee at a golf club his family owns in the suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes. On Wednesday, Trump will discuss the economy during an event at Red Rock casino in Las Vegas.
Only 32% of U.S. adults approved of Trump鈥檚 handling of the economy in an AP-NORC poll conducted in late July. In the same poll, most Americans, 69%, characterized the state of the economy as 鈥減oor,鈥� and many said the cost of everyday essentials like groceries and gas was a 鈥渕ajor鈥� source of stress in their lives.
Trump鈥檚 overall approval rating is at 33%, slightly below where he stood at this point in his first term.
Trump is likely to take aim at Democratic Gov. Newsom
During the trip, Trump is likely to throw barbs at California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat eyed as a likely candidate for his party鈥檚 presidential nomination in 2028. Newsom has become one of the president鈥檚 highest-profile opponents.
White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said the president plans to 鈥渄raw a sharp contrast between his commonsense agenda and the radical policies of Democrats like Gavin Newsom,” touting his own efforts to cut taxes, reduce fraud in government programs, and crack down on immigration and crime.
California was one of Trump’s first domestic stops after returning to office in January 2025. He that had wiped out whole neighborhoods of Los Angeles County, left thousands of people homeless and killed more than two dozen.
Newsom greeted Trump at the airport on that trip, and they chatted amiably and gestured toward cooperation despite a bitter history. But the comity did not last. Six months later, Newsom argued in a speech that by Trump after the president sent National Guard troops and U.S. Marines into Los Angeles without Newsom’s consent. This came after protests following a series of .
Trump routinely mocks Newsom and refers to the governor using a derogatory nickname, while Newsom taunts the president with frequent social media posts.
The Democrat wrote on social media on Monday that California is raising its minimum wage next year to $17.40 an hour, more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25.
鈥淒onald Trump and the GOP are still defending a $7.25 minimum wage while workers scrape by. Pitiful,鈥� Newsom wrote.
Housing prices are a big issue at Trump’s second stop: Nevada
Nevada, where Trump will be on Wednesday, is led by a Republican governor, Joe Lombardo, who faces Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford in a battle for reelection in November. The contest is considered one of the most competitive in the country.
The Nevada State Democratic Party is putting up billboard signs about Trump鈥檚 visit that tie him to Lombardo and higher costs. The state is grappling with a shortage of affordable housing, exploding and to key state programs.
Trump has tried for several months to sell voters on his income tax cuts and . But , a gallon of gasoline costs more because of , tariffs are still reshaping the economy and by the White House鈥檚 own estimates there is .
The president called his own housing bill and past speeches advertised by the White House as being about the economy, including one he last week, gave way to Trumpian weaves about his political enemies and construction projects in the nation’s capital.
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Associated Press writers Josh Boak in Washington and Jessica Hill in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
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