President Donald Trump’s goons hit the road last week in a last-ditch attempt to shore up support ahead of the midterm elections, but instead they were reportedly met with furious voters.
Key members of the Trump administration, including Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., fanned out across the country to tout the president’s record, only to find themselves pressed on issues challenging the administration, Politico reported on Friday.
The Cabinet roadshow comes as the Trump administration scrambles to boost the Republican Party’s image with just over two months until the midterm elections, and the president’s approval rating near record lows as voters grow increasingly frustrated over the cost of living.
The White House has become increasingly focused on affordability, but its efforts to bring down prices have angered a key portion of its voter base. The White House has faced fierce backlash from cattle ranchers over Trump’s plan to temporarily remove duties on 300,000 metric tons of imported beef.
Rollins felt that anger firsthand during a trip to Iowa over the weekend that was intended to rally farmers, according to Politico. Instead, the agriculture secretary had to defend Trump’s beef plan, which the president claimed would lower prices for consumers, but sparked outrage among American ranchers.
“If you just look at how it’s animating people here, if you just look at the breadth of the headlines coming out from it, it’s a challenge. It has legs, to be honest,” one Republican operative in Iowa said. “You don’t have to go further than to look at how [Democratic gubernatorial candidate] Rob Sand and them are using it. They clearly think it’s an issue.”
Wright’s trip to New Hampshire similarly backfired. The energy secretary traveled there to promote natural gas pipelines but was hit with questions about $4 gasoline prices, Politico reported.
Kennedy traveled to Florida to discuss school nutrition but was pressed on a measles outbreak in Pennsylvania. He clashed with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro over whether the virus caused two deaths.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, meanwhile, has struggled to gain the support of some of his former Wall Street colleagues, who remain skeptical of his “economic D-Day” strategy to end the war in Iran and oppose his efforts to lower the interest rate paid by the federal government on long-term debt, according to Politico.
Trump launched his war against Iran in February, confidently predicting that it would last just “a few weeks.” But the conflict has now hit the six-month mark, with no end in sight.
“Instead of assuring voters, they end up raising more questions and sometimes showing the liability that this entire administration has across the board. It’s hard to point to a good spokesman or even a high point in this administration right now, and certainly the polls reflect it,” Matthew Bartlett, a Republican strategist who served in Trump’s first administration, told Politico.
“So I’m just not sure that sending every Cabinet member and their mother out on the campaign trail is going to help,” he added. “Instead of solving a problem, you end up creating divisions.”
According to Politico, the administration is pressing ahead with its Cabinet roadshow despite the frosty reception. Bessent is visiting North Carolina, while Rollins is returning to Iowa on Tuesday to speak at the Farm Progress Show.
When contacted by the Daily Beast for comment, White House spokesman Kush Desai said Trump “pledged to end Joe Biden’s generational inflation crisis, and the Administration has been laser-focused on delivering since Day One with a proven supply-side economic agenda.”
“The Administration has already slashed the prices of eggs, dairy, prescription drugs, and other household essentials, and more relief is on the way for everyday families,” Desai added.
