HEBRON, Ky. (AP) 鈥� President on Wednesday touted lowering prescription drug prices in Ohio and campaigned in the Kentucky district of Rep. , calling his fellow Republican a 鈥渘utjob鈥� he said should lose their party’s upcoming primary.
It was a full day on the road as Trump attempted to project economic and political strength even as has and .
Massie is one of the few remaining Republicans who has dared defy Trump in Congress, and the president took the unusual step of holding a rally in Massie’s northern Kentucky district. He gleefully told the crowd, 鈥淚 just can’t stand this guy,鈥� and called him 鈥渟tupid鈥� and a 鈥渄isaster.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to get rid of this loser,鈥� said Trump, who has endorsed Massie鈥檚 challenger, , in Kentucky’s primary on May 19.
The event felt like vintage Trump from his reelection bid in 2024 鈥� so much so that he briefly called Gallrein, a farmer, business owner and retired Navy SEAL, to the stage. There, Gallrein declared, 鈥淭om Massie stands with the ladies of 鈥楾he View.鈥� Mr. President, we stand with you!鈥�
The trip was a test of Trump鈥檚 ability to cleanse his party of those who oppose him, but also to try to stay on an economic message increasingly strained by the military action launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran.
that Americans were increasingly wary of Trump鈥檚 handling of the economy even before the conflict began, and fighting there has derailed Trump鈥檚 messaging, as the low gas prices he once bragged about are and stocks that had set record highs .
Employers also in February, and revisions trimmed another 69,000 jobs from December and January payrolls 鈥� which the White House had previously hailed as 鈥渂lockbuster.鈥�
Iran looms large in both Ohio and Kentucky stops
Trump’s swing began with a tour of Thermo Fisher Scientific in suburban Cincinnati. There, he discussed his administration’s efforts to persuade major manufacturers so that they are closer to what is charged abroad.
鈥淚 used some very strong negotiating talent to get every single country to almost immediately approve,鈥� he told reporters.
But the president also told reporters that what was happening in Iran was 鈥渁n excursion that will keep us out of a war.鈥� He added of Tehran, 鈥渇or them, it鈥檚 a war. For us, it鈥檚 turned out to be easier than we thought.鈥�
Later, at the Kentucky rally, Trump suggested the conflict wasn’t about to end, saying, 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to leave early, do we? We鈥檝e got to finish the job.鈥�
He said that Iran was on the verge of rebuilding its nuclear capabilities, saying that fighting needed to continue so, 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to go back every two years.鈥�
That contradicts many previous Trump claims and justifications for the U.S. and Israel launching strikes on Iran 鈥� not the least of which was Trump saying U.S. strikes last summer had obliterated that country’s nuclear capabilities.
Also Wednesday, Trump did an interview with Cincinnati鈥檚 WKRC-TV CBS and said he planned to tap the nation鈥檚 , in an effort to bring down gasoline prices.
鈥淩ight now, we鈥檒l reduce it a little bit, and that brings the prices down,鈥� Trump said, without providing details.
That interview followed the president acknowledging during the tour of the drug factory that stock markets had been volatile as gas prices have risen, saying, 鈥淚 figured we鈥檇 be hit a little bit. But, we were hit probably less than I thought.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檒l be back on track in a pretty short while,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淧rices are coming down very substantially. Oil will be coming down.鈥�
Trump laces into Massie
At the rally, the president stressed the importance of Republicans winning the midterms, ticking off his administration鈥檚 accomplishments while telling the crowd, 鈥淭he midterms are going to be very, very important to keep it going.鈥�
But that doesn’t extend to Massie, who Trump called 鈥渢he worst.鈥�
Massie is an outspoken Trump critic who opposed the White House-backed and bucked Trump by pushing to have files related to released.
He鈥檚 also criticized that toppled then-President and, most recently, the war in Iran.
Massie told The Cincinnati Enquirer that Trump鈥檚 endorsement is 鈥渁ll my opponent has going for him.鈥� adding that Gallrein 鈥渉as promised to be a rubber stamp when he gets to Washington D.C. and I don鈥檛 think people here want a rubber stamp.鈥�
Wednesday’s swing was part of a tour the White House said would see Trump travel the country and attempt to show that he鈥檚 taking kitchen table issues seriously and reassure voters nervous about still-rising prices and economic growth. It followed and winning the Virginia and New Jersey governors’ races in November.
Since then, the president has made stops in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Texas 鈥� though his speeches have sometimes been more focused on his own political grievances than on his plans to help lower everyday costs across the country.
Even in Kentucky, Trump spent long stretches mocking his Democratic predecessor, President Joe Biden, and slammed California Gov. Gavin Newsom for publicly talking about his dyslexia, saying 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want the president of the United States to have a cognitive deficiency.鈥�
Then, while flying back to Washington, Trump took to his social media website to again criticize Newsom on dyslexia, which is a learning disability. Trump called the governor 鈥渁 Cognitive Mess.鈥�
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This story has been updated to fix the name of the local Ohio newspaper. It is The Cincinnati Enquirer.
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Weissert contributed from Washington. Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed from Washington.
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