Rising prices, plunging ratings, lingering war: Trump’s plate is full

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump's three-day visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping was filled with pomp and circumstance: a red-carpet arrival, a tour of the National Archives and a state dinner of yellow squash velouté and sesame crusted sea bass.

But the hearty welcome left a bad taste in the mouth of the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“Quite frankly, had the White House asked me for advice, I would have suggested the president not invite Xi Jinping to Washington for such a lavish welcome here in the United States of America based on all of the troubling issues we have with President Xi and the Chinese Communist Party,” Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker said on the Senate floor Sept. 22.

Wicker, one of a growing number of Republicans who have publicly disagreed with the president, may also strike a chord with voters who have told pollsters that the cost of living will be their top priority in the upcoming elections. Lopsided majorities have disapproved of Trump’s handling of foreign affairs and the economy.

Trump has pledged to campaign heavily during the month before the Nov. 3 midterm elections in about three-dozen competitive races, including traditional Republican territory…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/