US President Donald Trump is using high-profile public controversies to draw attention away from falling approval ratings and ongoing economic pressures ahead of the November midterm elections, political analysts said.
The Republican Party faces potential defeat in the upcoming midterm vote, which will decide control of the US Congress. Trump's standing has suffered as voters grapple with persistent inflation and the prolonged conflict in Iran, two central issues of his presidential term.
William Galston of the Brookings Institution, a Washington research group, said Trump is applying a familiar strategy of generating public noise to drown out a steady stream of unfavorable opinion polls. Galston noted that distracting voters remains difficult when dealing with daily financial strain that people encounter whenever they fill a supermarket shopping cart or a petrol tank.
Controversy over Lake Ontario proposal
Trump briefly captured media attention this week after announcing plans to rename Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes bordering the United States and Canada, as the Lake of America.
The proposal drew quick criticism across the political spectrum. Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, described the renaming announcement as a pathetic attempt at distraction.
Conservative influencer Matt Walsh also criticized the move in a post on social media platform X, calling the idea politically stupid and describing it as a gift to the political left. Walsh warned that the primary challenge for Republicans in November will be answering accusations that they failed to use their majority to serve average Americans, adding that Trump's recent actions reinforce those charges.
Deportation videos and immigration enforcement
Hardline anti-immigration enforcement remains among the few policy areas strictly following Trump's original agenda. The administration has continuously highlighted its mass deportation campaign, which Democratic opponents have condemned as inhumane.
The Department of Homeland Security recently published a video clip showing Haitian nationals being boarded onto an airplane with their hands bound behind their backs, following the termination of a status program that previously permitted their legal entry into the United States. The edited clip, accompanied by background music, drew widespread criticism as humiliating and racist.
Emergency economic and foreign policy measures
Beyond immigration, the administration faces growing scrutiny over the conflict in Iran, which has lasted far longer than the short campaign Trump initially promised. At the same time, American consumers continue to wait for promised reductions in the cost of living.
In response, the Trump administration has launched emergency measures across several sectors as the elections draw near. These include large-scale beef imports aimed at reducing consumer prices under a campaign to rebuild the national herd, government bond buybacks to stabilize financial markets, and an urgent mission by the CIA director to prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from attacking a NATO ally, according to reports in the US press.
Shift in media strategy and social media posts
Trump has also altered his media routine, significantly reducing open press interactions that he previously favored. Early in his term, he held near-daily press conferences lasting up to an hour. He now prefers giving one long weekly interview to a figure within the MAGA network where he faces no difficult questioning.
However, Trump continues to express himself through his Truth Social platform to provoke reactions. He recently shared a drawing depicting himself alongside late country music star Dolly Parton, leading to accusations that he was attempting to appropriate her memory.
Trump also published a personal ranking of US presidents that sparked widespread outrage. In his list, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were characterized as very good, Bill Clinton was rated average, and Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden were classed as failures. Trump placed himself alone at the top of the ranking, describing himself as the greatest president.
