Trump’s press fight pulls focus from pocketbook issues

Media ban overtakes an economic event

President Donald Trump’s decision to bar three news organizations from the White House grounds has dominated political attention as Republicans try to emphasize economic issues before the midterm congressional elections.

Trump announced the ban on Friday, within an hour of an Oval Office event about lowering prescription drug prices. The decision caught some high-level White House aides by surprise, and officials struggled to explain it after it took effect, NBC News reported.

Rather than returning public attention to potential savings from his policies, Trump continued to focus on the dispute over press coverage. That left Republican allies working to keep their campaigns centered on the cost of living and other concerns affecting household budgets.

Voters name costs and the economy

In an NBC News poll conducted this month, registered voters identified inflation, government corruption, threats to democracy, jobs and the economy, the Iran war, immigration and health care costs among their leading issues. News coverage was not offered as a response option.

A separate NBC News survey in June, sponsored by the nonpartisan nonprofit More Perfect, found that nearly two-thirds of adults lacked confidence in national news media. That distrust can make the press a political target, but the survey did not establish that voters wanted White House action against news organizations.

Some Republicans choose a different focus

Some Republican candidates in competitive races have separated themselves from Trump on specific policies. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida released an advertisement criticizing his mass deportation agenda, while Republican candidates in Iowa and Michigan opposed the Iran war and pointed to its effect on prices.

Those moves place economic costs and constituent concerns at the center of their campaigns while the White House remains engaged in the dispute over press access.