By Jacob Bogage
THE VILLAGES, Florida, May 1 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump will venture outside the White House for the first time since a foiled assassination attempt, traveling on Friday to a Florida stronghold under mounting political pressure and intense scrutiny of his security.
Trump is expected to tout new tax deductions for seniors and accessibility improvements at the Social Security Administration during a visit to The Villages, a large retirement community that consistently backs Republican candidates.
The trip comes as Trump’s approval rating swoons to new lows between his two terms, and Republican candidates face political headwinds in November’s midterms.
More than six in 10 voters disapprove of Trump’s performance, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. His 34% approval rating equals the political low-watermark from the end of his first term, when, at his urging, a mob of supporters ransacked the U.S. Capitol after he lost his reelection bid.
Economic issues continue to plague Trump’s second term. The average U.S. gasoline price rose to its highest level in nearly four years this week as the U.S.’s naval blockade of Iran continues with no end in sight. Inflation in March also grew at its highest clip in three years, the Commerce Department reported on Thursday.
“The American people have made it very clear that they’re very concerned about affordability issues, and I think the president is right that he does not bear sole responsibility for the fact that people are feeling sour about how expensive everything is,” said Michael Strain, an economist at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute.
“But he, I think, does bear responsibility for not responding to the concerns of voters with a policy agenda that could plausibly address those concerns.”
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted largely before a gunman allegedly attempted to storm a gathering of Washington journalists and social luminaries on Saturday to shoot Trump and administration officials. Assassination attempts have historically led to boosts in a president’s popularity. Trump said the attempt on his life – the third in less than two years – demonstrated his effectiveness in office.
“We’ve changed this country, and there are a lot of people that are not happy about that,” he told reporters in the hours after the attack.
Security measures will be heavily scrutinized during his Florida trip. In the Saturday attack, the alleged assailant, carrying multiple firearms and knives, was able to come within yards of the ballroom in which Trump, Vice President JD Vance and numerous cabinet officials were seated before he was subdued by security personnel.
Trump has said the incident is proof of the necessity of his controversial new White House ballroom, though the facility would have been too small to host the Saturday event. It would also not provide security for the myriad events presidents conduct with voters and dignitaries around the country.
After his remarks on Friday at the retirement community, Trump will speak to civic and business leaders across the Sunshine State in Palm Beach, then attend the PGA Cadillac Championship at his Trump National Doral golf resort outside Miami.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said he retained confidence in the Secret Service and said he would not consider wearing a bulletproof vest.
“I don’t know if I can handle looking 20 pounds heavier,” Trump joked.
(Reporting by Jacob Bogage; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Stephen Coates)
