Week in Politics: Trump faces Republican defections; U.S.-China summit; press feud

Some GOP candidates are stepping back from unpopular Trump administration policies. Meanwhile, a U.S.-China summit at the White House and tensions with the press corps.

SCOTT SIMON, HOST: At the Republican National Convention in Dallas last month, ahead of the midterms, President Trump asked his supporters... (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: To pretend that I'm on the ballot. I'm on the ballot. I'm on it. SIMON: Some Republican candidates, especially in competitive races, don't have to pretend and are trying to step away from some of President Trump's most unpopular policies. (SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE) ASHLEY HINSON: I've called for an immediate and successful end to the war in Iran so that families can see some relief at the pump and at the checkout line. SIMON: That's Ashley Hinson, the Iowa Republican running for the Senate, speaking at a press conference yesterday. NPR political reporter Elena Moore joins us. Elena, thanks so much for being with us. ELENA MOORE, BYLINE: Good morning, Scott. SIMON: Thirty-eight days until Election Day. What is increasing Republicans' worry over being associated with President Trump? MOORE: Well, you know, Democrats have been campaigning on the need to address rising costs throughout the midterm cycle, but I think that message only got louder once the war in Iran began. And Trump's defended his decision to go to war, but it's tricky for Republicans on the ballot this far - this fall - because the war is unpopular. You know, voters are worried about how the conflict is affecting the cost of gas and groceries. But this week, we did - as you said, we saw several GOP candidates who are running in these tight, competitive races directly make that connection, like Ashley Hinson in Iowa. This message shift makes sense if you look at the polls, which show Republicans trailing Democrats on the generic ballot. And, you know, the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll has Democrats up by 12 points over Republicans. SIMON: And the shift in messaging is interesting, given the premium that President Trump puts on loyalty. MOORE: Oh, yeah. I mean, he's always put this emphasis on party loyalty. But, you know, he's kind of in a different era of his political career right now, you can argue. Trump is a lame duck, and he's also facing, like, you know, historically low popularity among voters. Which is important to note because Trump has repeatedly, like you said, told voters to act like he's on the ballot this fall. And, you know, that's something that, once again, could put GOP candidates trying to appeal to moderates and independents in a tough situation. SIMON: The President hosted a three-day summit in Washington, D.C., with China's President Xi Jinping this week. What do you note about the visit? MOORE: Well, yeah. I mean, there was a lot of pageantry. You know, there was a big state dinner. Trump gave Xi a private tour of the South Lawn, and they literally rolled out the red carpet for his arrival. As for what came out of the meetings between China and the U.S., it doesn't appear to be much. The U.S. has said it's extending a trade truce with China for two months. But, Scott, there's still a lot of unanswered questions about what this relationship between these two countries looks like moving forward. For one, the summit comes amid rising concerns about what the U.S. and global leaders should do when it comes to regulating AI. But Trump has repeatedly pushed back on that, saying the U.S. needs to stay in competition with China. So, you know, likely more to come there. And we should also say Xi and Trump are expected to see each other two more times before the end of the year at different geopolitical events. SIMON: And a big story playing out in court this week after the president banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. Where do things stand right now? MOORE: I mean, there was a lot of back and forth on this story throughout the week. A few days ago, a federal judge ruled that the White House had to give access back, at least temporarily. But the fight continues. As of last night - Friday night - the White House barred CNN from traveling aboard Air Force One today as the president goes to Tennessee for a college football game. And, Scott, what makes this extra complicated is CNN was supposed to be the TV press pooler today. And that can really matter. You know, Trump has always had this love-hate relationship with the legacy news media. He rags on them. He says, fake news. But every day, the White House press pool plays a pretty big role in disseminating information about the president. They travel with him. They cover his events, and they quickly share video and audio that often ends up on national broadcasts. And at points this week, as several major news outlets boycotted doing pool duties or broadcasting that footage, it meant Trump, who is and has always been a showman, got less airtime. SIMON: NPR's political reporter Elena Moore. Thanks so much for coming in to see us today. MOORE: Thanks, Scott. Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

SCOTT SIMON, HOST: At the Republican National Convention in Dallas last month, ahead of the midterms, President Trump asked his supporters... (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: To pretend that I'm on the ballot. I'm on the ballot. I'm on it. SIMON: Some Republican candidates, especially in competitive races, don't have to pretend and are trying to step away from some of President Trump's most unpopular policies. (SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE) ASHLEY HINSON: I've called for an immediate and successful end to the war in Iran so that families can see some relief at the pump and at the checkout line. SIMON: That's Ashley Hinson, the Iowa Republican running for the Senate, speaking at a press conference yesterday. NPR political reporter Elena Moore joins us. Elena, thanks so much for being with us. ELENA MOORE, BYLINE: Good morning, Scott. SIMON: Thirty-eight days until Election Day. What is increasing Republicans' worry over being associated with President Trump? MOORE: Well, you know, Democrats have been campaigning on the need to address rising costs throughout the midterm cycle, but I think that message only got louder once the war in Iran began. And Trump's defended his decision to go to war, but it's tricky for Republicans on the ballot this far - this fall - because the war is unpopular. You know, voters are worried about how the conflict is affecting the cost of gas and groceries. But this week, we did - as you said, we saw several GOP candidates who are running in these tight, competitive races directly make that connection, like Ashley Hinson in Iowa. This message shift makes sense if you look at the polls, which show Republicans trailing Democrats on the generic ballot. And, you know, the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll has Democrats up by 12 points over Republicans. SIMON: And the shift in messaging is interesting, given the premium that President Trump puts on loyalty. MOORE: Oh, yeah. I mean, he's always put this emphasis on party loyalty. But, you know, he's kind of in a different era of his political career right now, you can argue. Trump is a lame duck, and he's also facing, like, you know, historically low popularity among voters. Which is important to note because Trump has repeatedly, like you said, told voters to act like he's on the ballot this fall. And, you know, that's something that, once again, could put GOP candidates trying to appeal to moderates and independents in a tough situation. SIMON: The President hosted a three-day summit in Washington, D.C., with China's President Xi Jinping this week. What do you note about the visit? MOORE: Well, yeah. I mean, there was a lot of pageantry. You know, there was a big state dinner. Trump gave Xi a private tour of the South Lawn, and they literally rolled out the red carpet for his arrival. As for what came out of the meetings between China and the U.S., it doesn't appear to be much. The U.S. has said it's extending a trade truce with China for two months. But, Scott, there's still a lot of unanswered questions about what this relationship between these two countries looks like moving forward. For one, the summit comes amid rising concerns about what the U.S. and global leaders should do when it comes to regulating AI. But Trump has repeatedly pushed back on that, saying the U.S. needs to stay in competition with China. So, you know, likely more to come there. And we should also say Xi and Trump are expected to see each other two more times before the end of the year at different geopolitical events. SIMON: And a big story playing out in court this week after the president banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. Where do things stand right now? MOORE: I mean, there was a lot of back and forth on this story throughout the week. A few days ago, a federal judge ruled that the White House had to give access back, at least temporarily. But the fight continues. As of last night - Friday night - the White House barred CNN from traveling aboard Air Force One today as the president goes to Tennessee for a college football game. And, Scott, what makes this extra complicated is CNN was supposed to be the TV press pooler today. And that can really matter. You know, Trump has always had this love-hate relationship with the legacy news media. He rags on them. He says, fake news. But every day, the White House press pool plays a pretty big role in disseminating information about the president. They travel with him. They cover his events, and they quickly share video and audio that often ends up on national broadcasts. And at points this week, as several major news outlets boycotted doing pool duties or broadcasting that footage, it meant Trump, who is and has always been a showman, got less airtime. SIMON: NPR's political reporter Elena Moore. Thanks so much for coming in to see us today. MOORE: Thanks, Scott. Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

At the Republican National Convention in Dallas last month, ahead of the midterms, President Trump asked his supporters... (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: To pretend that I'm on the ballot. I'm on the ballot. I'm on it. SIMON: Some Republican candidates, especially in competitive races, don't have to pretend and are trying to step away from some of President Trump's most unpopular policies. (SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE) ASHLEY HINSON: I've called for an immediate and successful end to the war in Iran so that families can see some relief at the pump and at the checkout line. SIMON: That's Ashley Hinson, the Iowa Republican running for the Senate, speaking at a press conference yesterday. NPR political reporter Elena Moore joins us. Elena, thanks so much for being with us. ELENA MOORE, BYLINE: Good morning, Scott. SIMON: Thirty-eight days until Election Day. What is increasing Republicans' worry over being associated with President Trump? MOORE: Well, you know, Democrats have been campaigning on the need to address rising costs throughout the midterm cycle, but I think that message only got louder once the war in Iran began. And Trump's defended his decision to go to war, but it's tricky for Republicans on the ballot this far - this fall - because the war is unpopular. You know, voters are worried about how the conflict is affecting the cost of gas and groceries. But this week, we did - as you said, we saw several GOP candidates who are running in these tight, competitive races directly make that connection, like Ashley Hinson in Iowa. This message shift makes sense if you look at the polls, which show Republicans trailing Democrats on the generic ballot. And, you know, the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll has Democrats up by 12 points over Republicans. SIMON: And the shift in messaging is interesting, given the premium that President Trump puts on loyalty. MOORE: Oh, yeah. I mean, he's always put this emphasis on party loyalty. But, you know, he's kind of in a different era of his political career right now, you can argue. Trump is a lame duck, and he's also facing, like, you know, historically low popularity among voters. Which is important to note because Trump has repeatedly, like you said, told voters to act like he's on the ballot this fall. And, you know, that's something that, once again, could put GOP candidates trying to appeal to moderates and independents in a tough situation. SIMON: The President hosted a three-day summit in Washington, D.C., with China's President Xi Jinping this week. What do you note about the visit? MOORE: Well, yeah. I mean, there was a lot of pageantry. You know, there was a big state dinner. Trump gave Xi a private tour of the South Lawn, and they literally rolled out the red carpet for his arrival. As for what came out of the meetings between China and the U.S., it doesn't appear to be much. The U.S. has said it's extending a trade truce with China for two months. But, Scott, there's still a lot of unanswered questions about what this relationship between these two countries looks like moving forward. For one, the summit comes amid rising concerns about what the U.S. and global leaders should do when it comes to regulating AI. But Trump has repeatedly pushed back on that, saying the U.S. needs to stay in competition with China. So, you know, likely more to come there. And we should also say Xi and Trump are expected to see each other two more times before the end of the year at different geopolitical events. SIMON: And a big story playing out in court this week after the president banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. Where do things stand right now? MOORE: I mean, there was a lot of back and forth on this story throughout the week. A few days ago, a federal judge ruled that the White House had to give access back, at least temporarily. But the fight continues. As of last night - Friday night - the White House barred CNN from traveling aboard Air Force One today as the president goes to Tennessee for a college football game. And, Scott, what makes this extra complicated is CNN was supposed to be the TV press pooler today. And that can really matter. You know, Trump has a