Trump’s Ohio Tax Attack Risks Backfiring

As midterm campaigning intensifies, Democrats are seeking to make races for Congress and governor a referendum on President Donald Trump, while Trump is urging his supporters to turn out for Republican candidates. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico is presented as a potentially strong challenger to Trump-backed Ken Paxton, with his progressive politics and Christian message helping him appeal to voters in the traditionally Republican state. Trump has also attacked Democrats as socialists, citing a White House estimate that their proposed policies could add nearly $50 trillion to the national debt, though that figure and the administration’s economic warnings are its own claims. At a rally in Ohio, Trump criticized Democrats over the estate tax, but the attack drew attention to Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s past support for a much higher inheritance tax; the current exemption means the federal estate tax affects only a small share of wealthy households. Trump’s campaign appearances may help mobilize his voters, but they also carry political risks as his party faces a difficult midterm environment and his rhetoric can draw scrutiny to vulnerabilities among Republican candidates.