Trump’s premature economic announcements show how desperate he is about the midterms

President Donald Trump used two White House events this week to announce large economic projects in states with competitive Senate races, and both announcements have since drawn doubt. The pattern fits a broader push to use government resources before the 2026 midterms, including a promised $5,000 payment to adult citizens if Republicans win, according to CNN.

On Monday, Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick presented a $15 billion Mesabi Metallics steel plant in Lee County, Iowa, alongside Rep. Ashley Hinson, a Senate candidate. Lutnick called the arrangement finalized, and Trump said construction had started. Yet the next day Gov. Kim Reynolds convened a special legislative session on tax incentives, and KWQC reported that no land had been acquired and no permits sought. An anonymous Iowa Republican official told CNN the plan sounds too good to be true; Hinson said she trusts the governor.

On Wednesday, with Sen. Dan Sullivan beside him, Trump said South Korea would put more than $50 billion into an Alaska natural gas pipeline. By Thursday, South Korean trade minister Kim Jung-kwan said the stated figures went beyond what was agreed and that Seoul was still deciding whether to proceed.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CNN’s reporting. Read the full story at CNN →