President Trump is facing warnings that a rough stretch for his administration could carry real costs at the ballot box this November.
In the span of three days, the Justice Department dropped a marquee vandalism case, Mr. Trump’s attorney general nominee scrapped a $1.8 billion compensation fund, and the president pulled back a threatened strike on Iran in favor of peace talks that Tehran denies are happening.
Two of the reversals came from his own appointees.
Darrell West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said the setbacks raise questions about Mr. Trump’s influence heading into the midterms. “It has been a rough few days for the president,” Mr. West said, warning that if such incidents keep piling up, “it’s a huge problem in November.”
He said voters unhappy with the president tend to punish Republicans on the ballot.
Democratic strategist Brad Bannon agreed the setbacks fit into his party’s midterm messaging, saying they feed a picture of “Trump in chaos, Trump incompetence.”
The White House pushed back, with spokesperson Taylor Rogers saying Mr. Trump remains “laser-focused on lowering costs for working families” while Democrats are “in disarray.”
Mr. West said the president’s political fate ultimately hinges on bigger issues — the economy and the war with Iran — which carry more weight than any single week’s headlines.
Read more:
• String of setbacks for Trump threatens to also give Democrats edge in midterm elections
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