Trump Heads West to Shore Up Economy Message Amid Weak Polls
President Donald Trump is making a rare visit to California and Nevada this week to draw contrasts with Democrats on the economy, border security, and crime, seeking to shore up support for Republicans in November elections that will determine whether his party keeps control of Congress. The trip comes as polls show the economy remains a significant vulnerability for the president heading into the midterms.
A Weak Point in the Polls
The Republican president has struggled to connect with voters on the economy as elevated inflation and Americans’ feelings of uncertainty have overshadowed the stock market gains he often cites along with a low national unemployment rate. According to an AP-NORC poll conducted in late July, only 32% of U.S. adults approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, while 69% characterized the state of the economy as “poor,” with many citing the cost of everyday essentials like groceries and gas as a “major” source of stress.
Trump’s overall approval rating stands at 33%, slightly below where he was at this point in his first term. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday showed his approval rating falling to 35%, down from 37% in a previous poll. For the first time in nearly a decade, the survey found that more registered voters (37%) believe Democrats have a better approach to managing the economy than Republicans (36%).
The generic congressional ballot also shows Democrats leading Republicans by significant margins, with TIME Magazine reporting a 6.7-point Democratic lead per Decision Desk HQ averages, 8 points per CNN/SSRS, and 11 points per an Emerson College July poll.
California: Fundraising and a Feud with Newsom
Trump was headed to the Los Angeles area on Tuesday to speak at a fundraising dinner for the Republican National Committee at Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, scheduled for approximately 6:30 p.m. PT. The visit, expected to create temporary flight restrictions and traffic delays around LAX and the South Bay, marks his second trip to California during his second term, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.
During the trip, Trump is likely to throw barbs at California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat eyed as a likely candidate for his party’s presidential nomination in 2028. White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said the president plans to “draw 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.
Newsom’s press office fired back on Tuesday, saying Trump was traveling to California not to help survivors of the devastating January 2025 wildfires but to raise money and attack the state. “More than anything, we’d like the President to keep the promise he made on January 24, 2025: to ‘take care of Los Angeles,’” Newsom said. “18 months later, survivors are still waiting.”
California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks was equally blunt: “Trump treats California like his personal political punching bag—right up until he needs someone to write a check.”
The tension between Trump and Newsom has deep roots. California was one of Trump’s first domestic stops after returning to office in January 2025, when he surveyed wildfire damage in the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon areas. Newsom greeted him warmly at the airport, but the comity did not last. By June 2025, Trump had sent National Guard troops and U.S. Marines into Los Angeles without Newsom’s consent following immigration raids and protests, prompting Newsom to argue that “democracy is under assault.”
Nevada: Housing, Taxes, and a Toss-Up Governor’s Race
On Wednesday, Trump will discuss the economy during an event at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. PT. Nevada, where Trump will be, is led by Republican Gov. 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 governor’s races in the country, rated as a toss-up by Cook Political Report, as NBC News has reported.
The Nevada State Democratic Party is putting up billboard signs about Trump’s visit that tie him to Lombardo and higher costs. The state is grappling with a shortage of affordable housing, exploding energy demand from artificial intelligence data centers, and federal cuts to key state programs. Nevada has also had the highest unemployment rate of any state for more than a year, according to The Nevada Independent.
Trump is expected to tout the “Working Families Tax Cut Act,” which took effect in January 2026 and suspends taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security income. The no-tax-on-tips provision allows a deduction of up to $25,000 a year on tips earned and is set to expire in 2028. The policy was first proposed by Trump in Las Vegas in June 2024, and KSNV News 3 Las Vegas has covered how the president has continued to tout it during visits to the state.
White House regional press secretary Liz Huston said the president will remind Nevadans that “every single Democrat opposed these commonsense reforms and fought to massively raise taxes on working families.”
But Democrats see an opening. Tai Sims, a spokesperson for Ford’s campaign, said Lombardo has been “cheerleader-in-chief for Trump’s price-raising agenda,” while Ford is “a bipartisan problem solver who has a proven track record of creating good-paying jobs and fighting to lower costs.”
Economic Headwinds and a Defiant President
Trump has tried for several months to sell voters on his income tax cuts and claims of a manufacturing renaissance. But interest rates remain high, a gallon of gasoline costs more because of the U.S.-Iran war, tariffs are still reshaping the economy, and by the White House’s own estimates, there is a national shortage of housing. The president called his own housing bill a “yawn,” and past speeches advertised as being about the economy, including one delivered at a General Motors facility in Michigan last week, gave way to Trumpian weaves about his political enemies.
Despite the unfavorable polling trends, Trump has dismissed surveys showing dissatisfaction with his leadership. In a Truth Social post on Monday, he wrote that his “REAL Polling Numbers, not those made up by the Fake News Media, are the best they have ever been,” adding: “Don’t believe the Radical Left’s Fake Poll numbers. They are Crooked and Corrupt.”
What to Watch For
With Republicans defending narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress, the November midterms will test whether Trump’s economic message can overcome persistent voter anxiety about costs. The Nevada governor’s race between Lombardo and Ford will be a key bellwether, as will Trump’s ability to shift the economic narrative in a state he won in 2024—becoming the first Republican presidential candidate in 20 years to do so.
As The Boston Globe reported, the president’s Western swing represents a calculated attempt to address his most significant political vulnerability. Whether the trip moves the needle will become clearer as the midterm campaign intensifies in the coming weeks.