Politics
• Analysis
2026 midterm elections: Trump and allies try to change the subject from his record
With tens of millions of Americans set to vote in the 2026 midterm elections next month, Donald Trump and his allies are promoting a proposed $5,000 'Trump dividend', a Ukraine pivot and claims of communism in the Democratic party as unflattering polls accumulate.
By Haut Monde Post
• October 23, 2026
• 2 Min Read
A $5,000 dividend before the vote
In September, with the 2026 midterm elections a month away, Trump proposed a $5,000 'Trump dividend' for every US citizen. The proposal was widely criticized as a pre-election bribe.
Warnings of communism and a shift abroad
The dividend is only the newest element of a strategy that took shape over the summer, when senior US officials tried to stoke fears that communism was widespread inside the Democratic party. That push came amid questions over the Iran war, the cost of living and the administration's anti-immigration policies.
On foreign policy, Trump has pivoted to Ukraine. The Iran war, which he launched in February, occupied him for months, during which he kept claiming it was about to end. In recent weeks he has:
- •struck a deal to buy Russian diesel
- •paused some sanctions on Moscow
- •suggested Volodymyr Zelenskyy should quit
What the numbers show in the background
In a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos survey, most Americans said Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself, and his approval rating has fallen to a new low. Asked which party they trusted on a dozen issues, respondents picked Democrats over Republicans on all but crime. Republican leads on the economy and immigration have both reversed since April: a one-point edge on the economy in April has become a nine-point deficit, and a five-point lead on immigration is now a two-point Democratic advantage.
The issues voters say they are watching
Voters themselves describe a different agenda. Justin Daniels, 45, of Detroit, Michigan, cites economic malaise; Yajaira Martinez, 43, of Pharr, Texas, cites labor; and Scott Akridge, 60, of Marietta, Georgia, cites the immigration crackdown.
In Alaska, where Mary Peltola is campaigning for the US Senate and hoping to become the first Democrat to win the seat in nearly two decades, the cost of living is the visible issue. She has found paper towels at $40, a half gallon of oat milk at $21, new freezers at up to four times the Anchorage price, and power bills along the Arctic Ocean reaching $1,500 a month, partly because the Iran war has pushed diesel costs up.
Nobody can afford that.
Peltola said in an interview, referring to those prices.
The 2026 midterm elections are next month, when tens of millions of Americans go to the polls.
