President Trump heads into the closing months of the year before he faces re-election without a clear policy agenda and with an uphill path to achieving any major new accomplishments before he faces voters.
Over a summer dominated by his personal attacks on Democratic lawmakers, the news media and his trade showdown with China, Mr. Trump spent little time clarifying his positions on several important agenda items that could bolster his record. …
Mr. Trump’s primary focus for winning re-election, said the Republican pollster David Winston, is to connect his actions as president to positive economic news “in such a way that people understand and see how it’s personally translating in their lives.”
“He’s got one responsibility, and that’s to effectively drive his narrative,” Mr. Winston said. “Everything he does has to be put in the context of, ‘Will this help the narrative?’”
Many of the president’s recent tweets and remarks to the news media would seem to fail that test. CONT.
Michael Crowley, New York Times