THE VILLAGES, Florida – In his first event outside the White House since an apparent assassination attempt, US President Donald Trump defended the Iran war, assailed Democrats and deflected criticism of his economic record in a speech aimed at boosting struggling Republicans’ election chances.
Speaking to a crowd of seniors in the sprawling and deeply conservative retirement community, The Villages, Mr Trump credited a signature tax and immigration law passed in 2025 with lowering levies on Social Security benefits.
He also touted his administration’s plan to make GLP-1 weight-loss drugs available to Medicare patients starting in July.
Mr Trump said he would not withdraw military forces from Iran “early, and then have the problem arise in three more years”.
More than two months into his strikes and despite a naval blockade, Mr Trump has been unable to force the Islamic republic to denuclearise and reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
The campaign-style event in his adopted home state of Florida comes as the Republican President’s approval rating has fallen to new lows between his two terms.
While he is not on the ballot, some Republican congressional candidates face long odds in November’s midterm elections.
More than six in 10 voters disapprove of Mr Trump’s performance, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. His 34 per cent approval rating equals the political low-water mark from the end of his first term.
Economic issues continue to plague Mr Trump’s second term.
The average US petrol price rose to its highest level in nearly four years this week as the US-Iran conflict continues with no end in sight.
Inflation in March also grew at its fastest clip in three years, the Commerce Department reported on April 30.
In his speech, Mr Trump appeared to recognise his need to appeal to voters on economic issues, and he largely glossed over his ongoing war with Iran, even as foreign policy has otherwise dominated his political attention in recent weeks.
“Let’s not talk about anything until it gets finished,” Mr Trump said of the war.
Some of his economic claims misrepresented his policies.
The President, for instance, claimed to have eliminated taxes on Social Security benefits, when in fact his signature legislative package created a new tax deduction for seniors that his administration hopes will offset taxes on the benefits.
The effects have been marginal, according to non-partisan analyses.
Fewer than half of households receiving Social Security benefits – 47.3 per cent – still owed taxes on them, according to the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.
Mr Trump’s speech at a charter school gymnasium drew on themes that lifted his 2024 campaign.
In addition to discussing the economy and immigration, Mr Trump frequently attacked Democrats in personal terms and raised divisive cultural issues, such as the participation of transgender athletes in school sports and critical race theory, a vaguely defined academic concept long attacked by Republicans.
Mr Trump only briefly touched on the attack at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 25.
During that incident, the alleged assailant, carrying multiple firearms and knives, came within metres of the ballroom where Mr Trump and numerous senior officials were seated before he was subdued by security personnel.
“I should be indoors at a secure facility where I can quickly, beautifully and safely play out my term, destroying everything that comes in our way, like bad countries that want to get nuclear weapons,” Mr Trump quipped.
Mr Trump has said that 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 April 25 event. It would also not provide security for the myriad events presidents conduct with around the world.
After his remarks on May 1 at the retirement community, Mr Trump was set to speak to civic and business leaders across Florida in Palm Beach, then attend the PGA Cadillac Championship at his Trump National Doral golf resort outside Miami.
Florida, while Republican-leaning overall, is home to several congressional districts that are expected to be exceptionally competitive in November.
At Mr Trump’s urging, the state legislature mere days ago approved new congressional maps drawn to advantage Republican candidates.
The new districts are expected to hand conservatives 24 of the Sunshine State’s 28 seats in the US House of Representatives. REUTERS