U.S. President Donald Trump (Republican) gestures while taking a photo with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to Zhongnan Sea Garden in Beijing on May 15, 2026.
Evan Vucci | AFP | Getty Images
President Donald Trump has returned to the United States, and his administration’s focus has increased accordingly, even though the fallout from the Iran war and his trip to China remains a top priority.
President Trump and his administration officials have been holding events across the country this week aimed at touting their accomplishments at home. This is a notable turning point after major foreign policy issues such as Iran, China, Cuba and Venezuela have dominated headlines for months.
President Trump is expected to announce his latest efforts to lower health care costs on Monday afternoon, while Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will appear at a campaign event in Kentucky and Vice President J.D. Vance will attend a manufacturing-focused event in Missouri.
The apparent shift comes days after President Trump returned from Beijing and ahead of the fast-approaching 2026 midterm elections, where Democrats hope to take back at least one chamber of Congress and push back hard against the president’s policy agenda.
They aim to take advantage of President Trump’s declining approval ratings, which have hit record lows in recent polls, as most Americans have negative views about the Iran war and the economic situation.
These pressures will make affordability a central theme of the midterm elections. President Trump’s announcement at the White House is being billed as a “health care affordability event.”
Mike Nellis, a Democratic strategist and host of Substack’s “Endless Urgency,” said the motivation is “American voters are angry about the economy.”
Trump was elected on a promise to curb Biden-era inflation and bring down high prices, but “that hasn’t happened,” Nellis told CNBC. “That’s why the American people are pretty angry.”
Tim Malloy, a Quinnipiac University polling analyst, said in a phone interview that “the economy has been a major issue in the campaign” and that Trump’s “recent economic numbers have been the lowest in both terms.”
“In addition to gas prices, we’re seeing big red flags,” he says.
A New York Times/Siena College poll released Monday found Trump’s overall approval rating at 37%, a new low during his second term, as nearly two-thirds of voters said they disapproved of his handling of economic policy.
A White House official told CNBC ahead of the 4:30 p.m. ET event that the president is expected to announce an expansion of the number of discounted prescription drugs offered through the administration’s TrumpRX website.
President Trump is scheduled to travel to Connecticut on Wednesday to deliver the commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
Meanwhile, Hegseth, who is in charge of ongoing military operations in Iran, is scheduled to head to Hebron, Kentucky, to speak at an event with Ed Gullane, the Trump-supporting U.S. House candidate running against incumbent Republican Rep. Thomas Massie.
The unusual appearance of a sitting defense secretary attending a public political event while the country is in the middle of fighting a war is raising eyebrows.
The Pentagon said in a statement to CNBC that Hegseth was attending the event “in a personal capacity.”
According to the Pentagon’s ethics guidelines, civilian officials appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate are restricted from participating in certain partisan political activities under the Hatch Act and department policy.
“No taxpayer money will be used to facilitate his visit. His participation has been thoroughly reviewed and cleared by legal counsel, including the Department of the Army’s Office of General Counsel, and does not violate the Hatch Act or any other applicable federal law,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
The campaign event, organized by MAGA-affiliated America First Works on the eve of the state’s primary election, comes as President Trump continues to hurl abuse at Massey, who has become Trump’s nemesis due to his clashes with Republican leaders.
President Trump continued to call for Massie’s ouster, calling him “the worst Congressman in the long and storied history of the Republican Party” in a Truth Social post Monday morning.
“He’s an obstructionist and a fool. Vote for him tomorrow, Tuesday, to remove him. It’s going to be a great day for America!” Trump wrote.
Mr. Vance, who has been deeply involved in diplomatic efforts with Iran, is also scheduled to speak at a manufacturing-focused event at the company’s Kansas City, Missouri, facility.
The domestic focus has increased following President Trump’s much-anticipated return from a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. The meeting was littered with spectacle and high stakes, but ended with little concrete deals or other tangible results.
—Megan Cassella contributed to this report.
