Former President Donald Trump has scheduled visits to Ohio and Kentucky for Wednesday, where he will promote his economic agenda while addressing concerns about how the ongoing Iran conflict is affecting the nation’s financial stability. The trip also marks his effort to unseat one of the Republican lawmakers who has consistently opposed him.
Trump’s first stop will be Cincinnati, where he plans to tour the facilities of Thermo Fisher Scientific, a pharmaceutical company. During this visit, he will highlight his administration’s work on reducing prescription drug costs, emphasizing his commitment to making daily expenses more manageable for American families as the midterm elections approach in November.
Following the Cincinnati event, Trump will travel to a logistics and packaging facility in Hebron, Kentucky, located within Rep. Thomas Massie’s congressional district. Trump is actively supporting a primary opponent against Massie in the upcoming election.
This journey represents Trump’s first major effort this primary season to fulfill his promises of targeting party members who have challenged his leadership on important issues. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized the economic focus, stating he’ll be “talking about the economy, which is, of course, the utmost importance to him.”
Public opinion surveys indicate Americans had growing concerns about Trump’s economic stewardship even before the Iran situation escalated. The military engagement has complicated Trump’s messaging strategy, as fuel costs he previously celebrated for staying low are now climbing rapidly, and stock markets that had reached new peaks have begun declining.
February employment data showed companies eliminated 92,000 positions, far more than anticipated, while adjustments removed an additional 69,000 jobs from December and January reports that the White House had previously described as “blockbuster.”
Despite these challenges, Trump maintains his position that the nation’s economy is thriving while placing responsibility on Democrats for any problems. “They’re the one that caused the problem,” he told House Republicans during a Florida meeting on Monday. “But we’re really bringing down prices big.”
After Democratic victories in Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial contests last November, the White House announced Trump would conduct nationwide travel to demonstrate his focus on everyday economic concerns and calm voters worried about persistent inflation and economic expansion.
Since that announcement, Trump has visited Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, and Texas, though his remarks have occasionally emphasized his personal political disputes rather than his proposals for reducing household expenses across America.
Wednesday’s events will feature Trump’s first primary season appearance supporting his pledge to challenge party members who oppose his key initiatives. Trump has given his endorsement to Ed Gallrein, who works as a farmer and businessman while serving as a retired Navy SEAL, in his campaign against incumbent Massie in Kentucky’s Republican primary scheduled for May 19. Trump and Gallrein will make a joint appearance on Wednesday.
Massie has been a vocal Trump opponent who voted against the administration’s preferred tax and spending legislation, and challenged Trump by advocating for the release of documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigations. He has also criticized the U.S. military action in Venezuela that removed former President Nicolás Maduro and, more recently, the Iran conflict.
“This isn’t America First,” Massie wrote on X Sunday, attributing rising fuel costs to the war.
