Trump says he plans to campaign for midterms like he did in 2024

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump said he plans to campaign for Republican lawmakers this fall with the same intensity that he did as a presidential candidate in 2024, foreshadowing a busy travel schedule ahead of midterm elections that could alter the balance of power in Washington.In an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy,” Trump acknowledged that parties in power typically lose ground during the midterms while saying he thought Republicans would do well.The party currently holds majorities in both the US House of Representatives and the Senate.“I’m going to go out and I’m going to campaign like I did for myself,” Trump said in the interview, which was recorded last week and aired on the evening of Aug 30. White House officials have previously suggested Trump planned to do significant amounts of travel, but the trips have not always materialised.A planned domestic travel push in the spring was overtaken by the US war with Iran.The war has contributed to Trump’s low approval ratings in polls, but the president dismissed concerns about high prices that have dogged his Republican allies and given Democrats a buzzword – affordability – to campaign on.“I’ve largely taken care of inflation,” Trump said in the interview.Trump, who portrays himself as a dealmaker, also indicated he did not need a deal with Iran in the conflict that has now lasted half a year.“I don’t need a signature on a piece of paper,” he said.The president has stepped up his travel schedule in recent weeks with a trip to South Carolina to campaign for Senator Darline Graham in her Republican primary race and to Texas for a fund raiser. BLOOMBERG