President Trump started the day on Thursday by celebrating peace in the Middle East while also threatening to launch a new, all-out attack in the region.
Shortly thereafter, he celebrated that his handpicked arts commission had approved his $400 million White House ballroom project.
By the day’s end, Mr. Trump was speaking to a crowd in northwest Georgia, where he was supposed to focus on the economy and jobs but spent much of the time on wild tangents: railing against the Supreme Court, making false claims of voter fraud and calling himself a “schmuck” for donating his presidential salary.
The president’s head-spinning day came as Republicans look to Mr. Trump to lock down a message that will resonate ahead of the midterms, when the party could face big losses. They want him to stay focused on an economic message to help his party keep control of Congress in November’s midterm elections — but Mr. Trump is never one to stay on message.
In fact, he sounded as though he wanted to move on entirely from the one issue they want him to focus on — affordability — as Democrats hammer him on the cost of living and high prices.
“What word have you not heard over the last two weeks? Affordability,” Mr. Trump said at a rally at a steel distributor in Rome, Ga. “Because I’ve won. I’ve won affordability.”
Earlier this week, the president’s top aides and cabinet officials gathered near the U.S. Capitol to discuss their midterm strategy. The takeaway was clear: The economy would be the deciding factor in the midterms, strategists and pollsters said, and Republicans needed to stay laser-focused.
But even if Republican candidates and Mr. Trump’s aides focus on the economy, they can never match the megaphone of their leader, who is not quite so laser-focused on the issue.
Still, Mr. Trump and his allies have been eager to celebrate his economic wins on the heels of two strong economic reports: Employment growth in January came in at more than twice the rate that economists had expected, and inflation was softer than predicted.
In his speech on Thursday, Mr. Trump attributed the country’s economic success to his tariff policies. He has vowed that the levies will reduce U.S. imports and shrink the trade deficit.
“Tariff is my favorite word in the whole dictionary,” he said.
But data released on Thursday showed the opposite of what Mr. Trump has promised has occurred: U.S. imports grew last year, and the trade deficit in goods hit a record high. Mr. Trump’s vision of reviving American manufacturing has so far not borne out either. U.S. manufacturers have cut more than 80,000 jobs in the past year.
Mr. Trump did not mention that data on Thursday. Instead, he regaled the audience with anecdotes of his conversations with business leaders who have told the president of major investments they’re making in the United States because of his tariffs.
He became most animated when discussing the pending Supreme Court case over his ability to institute sweeping tariffs.
“I have to wait for this decision,” he said, raising his voice. “I’ve been waiting forever. Forever. And the language is clear that I have the right to do it as president. I have the right to put tariffs on for national security purposes.”
In November, a majority of Supreme Court justices asked skeptical questions about Mr. Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose tariffs. A decision in the case could come as soon as Friday.
Even though the speech was billed as part of Mr. Trump’s nationwide economic tour, the president, as he often does, frequently veered off topic. He rehashed some of his longstanding grievances — including not getting enough credit for growing the economy, and the media not recognizing him for eschewing his presidential salary.
Throughout his meandering speech, Mr. Trump often found his way back to his core message: that former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. destroyed the country and Mr. Trump has resuscitated it.
But not all of Mr. Trump’s supporters are feeling the economic renaissance the president described on Thursday.
Charles Painter, 47, of Ringgold, Ga., described himself as a longtime supporter of the president, but he is still looking for economic relief. He said his property taxes had tripled.
“It’s going slow, but hopefully it gets there,” Mr. Painter said.
Mr. Trump’s trip took him back to the district that was, until last month, represented by Marjorie Taylor Greene, once a staunch supporter of the president. Ms. Greene said she broke with the president over his handling of the Epstein files, his commitment to “America first” ideals and his efforts to lower health care costs. She abruptly resigned from Congress in the middle of her term, creating a special election for her seat.
As Ms. Greene stepped up her criticism, Mr. Trump branded her a “traitor.” Ms. Greene did not attend Thursday’s event.
In the special election to fill Ms. Greene’s former seat, Mr. Trump has endorsed Clay Fuller, a local prosecutor. Mr. Fuller spoke before Mr. Trump on Thursday, and then the president invited him back to the stage because he “loved what he said.”
Tyler Pager is a White House correspondent for The Times, covering President Trump and his administration.
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