High-profile meetings with foreign and domestic leaders—including a Chinese president and a New York mayor—could alienate President Trump’s core supporters as Republicans push to energize voters ahead of the midterms. Strategists warn that his preference for engaging with influential figures, even authoritarian ones, may clash with the party’s need to rally its base. The political calculus grows tighter as the president balances diplomacy and domestic outreach in a year where turnout will be critical. Whether these interactions help or hinder Republican momentum remains a key question as the election season intensifies.
President Trump’s appearances with Chinese President Xi Jinping, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) and leaders from Silicon Valley risk turning off his political base just as Republicans are seeking to turbocharge turnout ahead of the midterms, say GOP strategists. The president has always loved meeting with the powerful, even if they are dictators...
