President Donald Trump is using stops in California and Nevada to raise Republican campaign money and promote his economic, immigration and crime agenda as the party works to retain control of Congress in November.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump is taking his midterm campaign push to California and Nevada this week, combining Republican fundraising with an effort to make the economy, border enforcement and crime central issues ahead of November elections that will determine control of Congress.
The trip sends Trump into two western states with sharply different political dynamics.
In California, the president attended a Republican National Committee fundraising dinner Tuesday at a golf club owned by his family in Rancho Palos Verdes. On Wednesday, he is scheduled to appear at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas for an event focused on the economy.
The appearances come as the White House works to persuade voters that Trump’s economic program is producing results despite persistent public concerns over inflation, borrowing costs and the price of household necessities.
Trump frequently points to stock market gains and a low national unemployment rate as evidence of economic strength. Polling, however, indicates that many Americans remain dissatisfied with current conditions.
An AP-NORC poll conducted in late July found that 32% of U.S. adults approved of Trump’s handling of the economy.
The same survey found that 69% of adults described the economy as “poor,” while many respondents identified the cost of everyday necessities, including groceries and gasoline, as a “major” source of financial stress.
Trump’s overall approval rating stood at 33%, slightly below his standing at the comparable point during his first term.
The president has spent months promoting income tax reductions and arguing that his administration is helping revive domestic manufacturing. Those arguments are competing with economic pressures that remain visible to consumers.
Interest rates remain high, while gasoline prices have increased amid the war with Iran. Tariffs are continuing to alter trade and business costs, and the White House itself has acknowledged a nationwide shortage of housing.
Trump has described his own housing legislation as a “yawn,” and previous events promoted by the White House as economic speeches have sometimes expanded into broader remarks about political opponents and other topics.
At a General Motors facility in Michigan last week, for example, a speech billed around the economy moved into Trump’s familiar extended discussions of his political adversaries and construction projects in Washington.
The western trip also places Trump directly into his continuing political confrontation with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat widely viewed as a possible contender for his party’s 2028 presidential nomination.
White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said Trump intends to “draw a sharp contrast between his commonsense agenda and the radical policies of Democrats like Gavin Newsom,” while highlighting administration efforts involving tax cuts, fraud reduction in government programs, immigration enforcement and crime.
The relationship between Trump and Newsom has changed substantially since the beginning of Trump’s second term.
California was among the president’s first domestic destinations after he returned to office in January 2025.
Trump traveled to Los Angeles County to inspect areas devastated by wildfires that destroyed entire neighborhoods, displaced thousands of residents and killed more than two dozen people.
Newsom met Trump at the airport during that visit. Despite their longstanding political rivalry, the two appeared publicly cordial and discussed working together on the recovery.
That temporary cooperation later collapsed.
Six months afterward, Newsom accused Trump of threatening democratic norms after the president deployed National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles without the governor’s approval.
The deployment followed demonstrations triggered by a series of federal immigration raids.
Newsom said at the time that “democracy is under assault” by Trump.
Since then, the two have regularly attacked each other publicly. Trump frequently refers to Newsom with a derogatory nickname, while Newsom has used social media to criticize and mock the president.
Newsom’s office responded to Trump’s latest California trip Tuesday by accusing him of returning to the state to raise campaign money rather than assist people still recovering from the Los Angeles-area fires.
“More than anything, we’d like the President to keep the promise he made on January 24, 2025: to ‘take care of Los Angeles,’” Newsom said.
“18 months later, survivors are still waiting.
“And while you’re here, Mr. President, welcome to the world’s fourth-largest economy — growing faster than Texas and Florida combined. Enjoy your stay,” Newsom said.
California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks also criticized the fundraising stop.
“Trump treats California like his personal political punching bag — right up until he needs someone to write a check,” Hicks said in a statement.
“He may hit up a few billionaire donors who bankroll his political operation, but the people of California have already made it clear: they want nothing to do with his chaos and corruption,” Hicks said.
Trump’s arrival in Southern California was accompanied by a separate security concern.
Authorities disclosed shortly before his Tuesday appearance that a California man had been arrested Sunday at the Rancho Palos Verdes golf course after ammunition was found on him and a firearm was discovered inside his vehicle.
Authorities said the man appeared to have been observing security preparations at the property.
Trump’s Wednesday stop in Nevada moves the focus more directly toward economic issues and a state with several closely watched races.
Nevada is governed by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who is seeking reelection against Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford in November.
The contest is considered one of the country’s most competitive gubernatorial races.
Nevada Democrats are attempting to connect Trump directly to Lombardo and voters’ concerns over living costs.
The Nevada State Democratic Party is placing billboards around the state timed to Trump’s visit, linking the president and governor to higher expenses.
Economic pressures in Nevada include a shortage of affordable housing and rapidly increasing electricity demand associated with the expansion of artificial intelligence data centers.
The state is also dealing with reductions in federal funding affecting major state programs.
Those issues give Trump an opportunity to argue for his administration’s economic program while giving Democrats an opening to focus on costs that remain elevated for households.
The president’s broader message is expected to extend beyond the economy.
Trump and Republican candidates are seeking to emphasize border security and crime alongside taxes, manufacturing and federal spending as they campaign to preserve the GOP’s congressional majorities.
His stops in two western states illustrate the different fronts of that effort: fundraising from Republican supporters in heavily Democratic California and campaigning on economic issues in closely divided Nevada.
The November elections will determine whether Republicans retain control of Congress during the second half of Trump’s current term, making the president’s ability to persuade voters on the economy an increasingly important part of the GOP campaign strategy.
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