During his first address to a Republican convention in 2016, Donald Trump had an audacious message to a nation yearning for change: “I alone can fix it.” A decade later and nearing the midpoint of his final term, Trump is still pitching himself as America’s essential repairman. It’s a strategy that’s helped him overcome daunting odds before but now guarantees this year’s midterms will be a referendum on his unpopular presidency. And it previews how difficult it will be for his party to prepare for a future without him as he shows little interest in ceding the stage.
Plus, the latest on U.S. inflation, Washington bureau chief Anna Johnson's weekly picks and what I'm reading this week. |
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President Donald Trump speaks at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) |
Analysis: Trump's solution to Republicans' midterm troubles is more Trump — By Steven Sloan On Thursday, the final night of Republicans' unusual midterm convention, Trump said he would speak for just a few minutes. Instead he held court for a half hour, repeating many of the points he made in a nearly two-hour speech the previous night, then lingered as balloons dropped from the ceiling and his favorite opera singer serenaded the crowd. That reflects Trump’s central challenge heading into the final stretch of the midterms. No one since Ronald Reagan has galvanized Republicans — and helped attract a broader range of voters to the party — quite like Trump. But that success only happens when Trump himself is on the ballot. He has repeatedly struggled to translate his personal popularity to success in competitive races when his election is not on the line. During Trump’s first midterms in 2018, Republicans lost 40 seats in the U.S. House. When he was off the ballot again in 2022, some of his marquee picks, such as Doug Mastriano for governor in Pennsylvania, lost their races.
It’s a vulnerability Trump is well aware of. “There’s no reason for it,” he said of the historic headwinds a president’s party faces in the midterms. “It’s something deep down and psychological.” Read more from Sloan about Trump's all-in pitch for the midterms. | |
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President Donald Trump speaks at the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) |
This week, I want to highlight how we tackled a surprising story to show how it developed and how we aimed to add expertise, context and depth after Trump pledged to send every American adult $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and the Senate in the midterms.
Trump, hoping to salvage midterms, makes a dubious pledge to give every US adult $5,000 if GOP wins — By Jonathan J. Cooper
— Jonathan dove straight into the news in the minutes after Trump made the announcement Wednesday night, pulling together what we knew and putting into context of the midterms and how much this would cost if it happened. Other AP journalists reached out to experts, and another colleague created a graphic showing how much this would cost compared to other federal spending.
Trump wants to send Americans money. Congress and economists don’t seem thrilled with the idea — By Bill Barrow, Mary Clare Jalonick and Josh Boak
— Bill, Mary Clare and Josh launched more reporting early Thursday that further explained how this was both extraordinary and dubious after getting reaction from members of Congress and interviewing more experts.
Some voters are skeptical of President Donald Trump’s $5,000 dividend promise; Criminal defense attorney says it's lawful — but not without challenges — By River Zhang, Mike Householder, Mark Vancleave, Emilie Megnien
— We also needed to ensure we had strong video coverage of Trump's pledge that included both experts and reaction from voters. Video journalists including River, Mike, Mark and Emilie jumped into action both Wednesday night and Thursday to produce these two pieces.
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Rising energy prices fuel inflation as Middle East clashes intensify |
Shoppers pass through the bakery section at a Target store, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Woodbury, Minn. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt) |
US inflation picked up as gas prices marched higher due to conflict in the Middle East — By Christopher Rugaber
U.S. inflation accelerated last month as gas prices spiked in the wake of renewed fighting in the Middle East, underscoring the affordability challenges that are top of mind for many voters with midterm elections now just seven weeks away.
The consumer price index rose 3.4% last month compared with a year ago, the Labor Department said Friday, the same as in July. But on a monthly basis, inflation quickened, as costs jumped 0.4% from July to August, up from an increase of just 0.1% the previous month.
The figures show that inflation remains stubbornly elevated, more than five years after prices first soared as the economy emerged from the COVID pandemic.
Persistent inflation has presented a major challenge for the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve and has soured many voters on the Trump administration’s economic track record.
Read more from Rugaber on the latest on U.S. inflation. |
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Political book club: What's on Meg Kinnard's reading list |
Ken Burns, left, and Walter Isaacson during the New Orleans Book Festival, Thursday, March 12, 2026, at Tulane University in New Orleans. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP) |
Continuing to lean into my nerding out over American history in this year of all things 250th, I went in search of another book on the origin story of the United States.
What I found was “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written,” released last year by journalist and Tulane University professor Walter Isaacson.
I've devoured a few of Isaacson's biographies on corporate titans like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk, but this is an in-depth look at a single sentence from the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
Isaacson explores both the enduring power of one of the nation's founding documents, as well as the contradictions inherent to a mission statement about freedom, written in part by men who were slaveholders. Read more about AP's coverage of America's 250th year. |
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