Trump Heads to Florida Stronghold in First Public Event Since Foiled Attack [View all]
Source: US News & World Report/Reuters
May 1, 2026, at 6:07 a.m.
THE VILLAGES, Florida, May 1 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump will venture outside the White House for the first time since a foiled assassination attempt, traveling on Friday to a Florida stronghold under mounting political pressure and intense scrutiny of his security. Trump is expected to tout new tax deductions for seniors and accessibility improvements at the Social Security Administration during a visit to The Villages, a large retirement community that consistently backs Republican candidates.
The trip comes as Trump's approval rating swoons to new lows between his two terms, and Republican candidates face political headwinds in November's midterms. More than six in 10 voters disapprove of Trump's performance, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. His 34% approval rating equals the political low-watermark from the end of his first term, when, at his urging, a mob of supporters ransacked the U.S. Capitol after he lost his reelection bid.
Economic issues continue to plague Trump's second term. The average U.S. gasoline price rose to its highest level in nearly four years this week as the U.S.'s naval blockade of Iran continues with no end in sight. Inflation in March also grew at its highest clip in three years, the Commerce Department reported on Thursday.
"The American people have made it very clear that they're very concerned about affordability issues, and I think the president is right that he does not bear sole responsibility for the fact that people are feeling sour about how expensive everything is," said Michael Strain, an economist at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute. "But he, I think, does bear responsibility for not responding to the concerns of voters with a policy agenda that could plausibly address those concerns."
Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-05-01/trump-heads-to-florida-stronghold-in-first-public-event-since-foiled-attack
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