US President Donald Trump acknowledged on Wednesday 30 September 2026 that his performance had been “very poor” in explaining his economic record to voters, as he faced political pressure linked to rising petrol prices and declining assessments of his administration’s handling of the economy ahead of the midterm elections scheduled for 3 November.
Trump made the comments during a White House event marking Hispanic Heritage Month, before a crowd of supporters. He said he had failed to explain what he considers to be his administration’s strong economic performance. “I’ve done a very poor job of explaining how well the country is doing,” he said, insisting that, in his view, the United States was performing better than ever.
Trump launches campaign to support Republicans
Trump is preparing to begin an intensive 32-day campaign in support of Republican candidates in elections that will determine whether the party retains control of Congress. He noted that the governing party typically loses seats in the first congressional elections after a presidential election, urging his supporters to vote.
“We have to turn this around,” Trump told the audience, referring to the challenges Republicans face in a number of electoral contests. The party is pouring millions of dollars into districts previously viewed as safe, but which have become more competitive amid voter discontent over the economic repercussions of the war on Iran and rising energy costs.
Economy weighs on Republicans’ prospects
The US president’s comments came as opinion polls showed growing criticism of his administration’s handling of the economy, which has been affected by global tariff policies and rising fuel prices. The cost of petrol, goods and services has repeatedly featured in consumers’ comments about their financial circumstances and expectations for the coming months.
Data from the Conference Board showed that the US consumer confidence index fell by 6.7 points in September to 81.9, from 88.6 in August, marking a third consecutive monthly decline. The present situation index also fell to 109.3, while the expectations index dropped to 63.6.
The board said consumers’ assessment of current business conditions had moved into negative territory for the first time since September 2024, while survey participants expected labour-market and business conditions to deteriorate over the next six months. It said references to prices and rising costs of goods and services, particularly oil and petrol, were frequent in consumers’ responses.
Jobs and consumer confidence data
In the labour market, data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that non-farm payrolls increased by 162,000 jobs in August, up from 21,000 in July, while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.1 per cent. The increase included jobs in food services, local government education and manufacturing, while the information sector recorded job losses.
Although job growth accelerated in August after a slowdown that persisted through parts of the summer, consumers remained pessimistic about the labour market. Rising house prices and mortgage costs also added to the pressures facing US households. Trump said the problem was that what he considers his administration’s achievements were not reaching voters, adding: “We’re not getting the message across.”
He said he intended to take part in the campaign personally because, in his words, no one was promoting the economic record as required. He continued: “We’re doing a very poor job of promotion, and a very excellent job of running the country, but we’ll get the message across. It shouldn’t be difficult.”
Trump is scheduled to travel to Texas and Oklahoma on Thursday 1 October, visit Alabama on Friday 2 October, and then Ohio on Saturday 3 October, as part of his tour to support Republican candidates ahead of the November elections.
