Trump touts having the best numbers of any president, despite his dismal approval rating

President Donald Trump again insisted he has posted better results than any predecessor, brushing aside weak approval ratings and the economic strain Americans are feeling from the war in Iran. Speaking for an hour at a Denton, Texas, manufacturing plant, he said the only area where his administration is struggling is public relations. He rejected complaints about affordability, arguing that critics invented the word and that his policies are lowering prices, even though interest rates remain high and wages are barely outpacing inflation, according to The Independent.

The visit was also meant to help Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general running for the Senate. A Fox News poll this week put Democrat James Talarico ahead of Paxton, 51 to 49. Trump's approval in Texas stands at 41 percent. The seat has already drained more than $100m in Republican spending, partly because of the bitter primary against Sen. John Cornyn, who has declined to endorse Paxton and says he will neither campaign nor raise money for him. Paxton also carries baggage from a near-impeachment over abuse of office.

The Iran war is especially unpopular: a CNN/SRSS poll found three in four Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of it.

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