Trump hints at possible Republican loss in midterms
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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump hinted that Republicans could lose the 2026 midterm elections, despite touting the "greatest economy in history," in an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on Saturday (Dec 13).
The Republican, who returned to the White House in January, has regularly insisted that the US economy is now booming, as he continues to blame inflation on his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.
"I've created the greatest economy in history. But it may take people a while to figure all these things out," Trump said in the interview, which the Journal said was conducted Friday in the Oval Office.
"All this money that's pouring into our country is building things right now-car plants, AI, lots of stuff. I cannot tell you how that's going to equate to the voter, all I can do is do my job."
With the 2026 midterm elections looming, Trump stressed that "prices are in good shape."
"Even those that had, you know, a successful presidency" have suffered setbacks, the former real estate developer told the Journal.
"We'll see what happens. We should win. But, you know, statistically, it's very tough to win. Yeah, it doesn't make sense."
Trump, who vowed to reduce inflation if re-elected, insists he has succeeded in this campaign promise, despite opinion polls showing low approval ratings for his economic strategy.
A poll conducted by the University of Chicago for the Associated Press found that only 31 per cent of US adults now approve of Trump's handling of the economy - down from 40 per cent in March.
"When will I get credit for having created, with No Inflation, perhaps the Greatest Economy in the History of our Country?" Trump said in a social media post Thursday.
"When will people understand what is happening? When will Polls reflect the Greatness of America at this point in time, and how bad it was just one year ago?" he added.
Inflation soared during Biden's tenure. It initially slowed after Trump's return to power in January, but has accelerated since April.
The last published inflation figure, in September, showed a 2.8 percent year-over-year price increase. The government did not release statistics for October due to a government shutdown. The figure for November is expected next week.
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