Trump turns to midterms, affordability after China as Iran continues

President Donald Trump has returned stateside and so has his administration’s focus, even as the Iran war and the aftermath of his China trip remain front-burner issues.

Trump and his top officials are fanning out across the U.S. this week for events aimed at touting his domestic achievements — a notable pivot after major foreign policy matters in Iran, China, Cuba, Venezuela and elsewhere have dominated headlines for months.

Trump on Monday afternoon is set to unveil his latest effort to bring down healthcare costs, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth travels to a campaign event in Kentucky and Vice President JD Vance attends a manufacturing-focused event in Missouri.

The apparent shift, days after Trump’s return from Beijing, comes ahead of the fast-approaching 2026 midterm elections, where Democrats hope to regain at least one chamber of Congress and fiercely push back against the president’s policy agenda.

They’re aiming to capitalize on Trump’s dwindling approval ratings, which have sunk to new lows in multiple recent polls as most Americans express negative views about the Iran war and the state of the economy.

Those pressures have helped make affordability a central theme of the midterms. Trump’s announcement at the White House is billed as a “Healthcare Affordability Event.”

The president is expected to announce an expansion of the number of discounted prescription drugs offered through the administration’s TrumpRX website, a White House official told CNBC ahead of the 4:30 p.m. ET event.

On Wednesday, Trump is set to travel to Connecticut to deliver a commencement address to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

Meanwhile, Hegseth, who leads the ongoing military operations in Iran, is set to travel to Hebron, Ky., to speak at an event with Ed Gallrein, a Trump-backed U.S. House candidate challenging incumbent GOP Rep. Thomas Massie.

The unusual image of a sitting defense secretary attending an overtly political event — and doing so while prosecuting an active war — has raised eyebrows.

The Pentagon, in a statement to CNBC, said Hegseth is attending the event “in his personal capacity.”

According to the Pentagon’s ethics guidelines, presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed civilian officials are restricted under the Hatch Act and department policy from taking part in certain partisan political activities.

“No taxpayer dollars will be used to facilitate his visit. His participation has been thoroughly vetted and cleared by lawyers, including the Department of War Office of General Counsel, and does not violate the Hatch Act or any other applicable federal statute,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in the statement.

The campaign event, hosted on the eve of the state’s primary elections by the MAGA-aligned America First Works, comes as Trump continues to hurl invective at Massie, whose clashes with GOP leadership have made him an archenemy of the president.

Trump continued his push to oust Massie on Monday morning, calling him “the worst Congressman in the long and storied history of the Republican Party” in a Truth Social post.

“He is an obstructionist and a fool. Vote him out of office tomorrow, Tuesday. It will be a great day for America!” Trump wrote.

Vance, who has been deeply involved in diplomatic efforts with Iranian counterparts, is also scheduled to deliver remarks at a manufacturing-focused event at a facility in Kansas City, Mo.

The domestic focus follows Trump’s return from his highly anticipated two-day summit in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The meetings were studded with spectacle and carried high stakes, but ended with few concrete deals or other tangible outcomes.

—Megan Cassella contributed to this report.