By Jacob Bogage and Gram Slattery
THE VILLAGES, Florida, May 1 (Reuters) – In his first event outside the White House since an apparent assassination attempt, U.S. President Donald Trump defended the Iran war, assailed Democrats and deflected criticism of his economic record in a speech aimed at boosting struggling Republicans’ election chances.
Speaking to a crowd of seniors in the sprawling and deeply conservative retirement community, The Villages, Trump credited a signature tax and immigration law passed last year with lowering levies on Social Security benefits. He also touted his administration’s plan to make GLP-1 weight-loss drugs available to Medicare patients starting in July.
Trump said he would not withdraw military forces from Iran “early, and then have the problem arise in three more years.” More than two months into his strikes and despite a naval blockade, Trump has been unable to force the Islamic Republic to denuclearize and reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
The campaign-style event in his adopted home state of Florida comes as the Republican president’s approval rating has fallen to new lows between his two terms. While he is not on the ballot, some Republican congressional candidates face long odds in November’s midterm elections.
More than six in 10 voters disapprove of Trump’s performance, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. His 34% approval rating equals the political low-water mark from the end of his first term.
Economic issues continue to plague Trump’s second term. The average U.S. gasoline price rose to its highest level in nearly four years this week as the U.S.-Iran conflict continues with no end in sight. Inflation in March also grew at its fastest clip in three years, the Commerce Department reported on Thursday.
‘LET’S NOT TALK’ ABOUT IRAN
In his speech, Trump appeared to recognize his need to appeal to voters on economic issues, and he largely glossed over his ongoing war with Iran, even as foreign policy has otherwise dominated his political attention in recent weeks.
“Let’s not talk about anything until it gets finished,” Trump said of the war.
Some of his economic claims misrepresented his policies. The president, for instance, claimed to have eliminated taxes on Social Security benefits, when in fact his signature legislative package created a new tax deduction for seniors that his administration hopes will offset taxes on the benefits. The effects have been marginal, according to nonpartisan analyses.
Fewer than half of households receiving Social Security benefits – 47.3% – still owed taxes on them, according to the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.
Trump’s speech at a charter school gymnasium drew on themes that lifted his 2024 campaign.
In addition to discussing the economy and immigration, Trump frequently attacked Democrats in personal terms and raised divisive cultural issues, such as the participation of transgender athletes in school sports and critical race theory, a vaguely defined academic concept long attacked by Republicans.
PRESIDENTIAL SECURITY IN FOCUS
Trump only briefly touched on the attack at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday. During that incident, the alleged assailant, carrying multiple firearms and knives, came within yards of the ballroom where Trump and numerous senior officials were seated before he was subdued by security personnel.
“I should be indoors at a secure facility where I can quickly, beautifully and safely play out my term, destroying everything that comes in our way, like bad countries that want to get nuclear weapons,” Trump quipped.
Trump has said the incident is proof of the necessity of his controversial new White House ballroom, though the facility would have been too small to host Saturday’s event. It would also not provide security for the myriad events presidents conduct with around the world.
After his remarks on Friday at the retirement community, Trump was set to speak to civic and business leaders across Florida in Palm Beach, then attend the PGA Cadillac Championship at his Trump National Doral golf resort outside Miami.
Florida, while Republican-leaning overall, is home to several congressional districts that are expected to be exceptionally competitive in November. At Trump’s urging, the state legislature mere days ago approved new congressional maps drawn to advantage Republican candidates. The new districts are expected to hand conservatives 24 of the Sunshine State’s 28 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
(Reporting by Jacob Bogage and Gram Slattery; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Trevor Hunnicutt, Alistair Bell and Stephen Coates)
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