Sen. Kennedy urges Trump to focus on affordability ahead of midterm elections

Washington — GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana on Sunday urged President Trump to focus on affordability as the midterm elections approach, stressing that Americans will be most concerned about the cost of living as they head to the ballot box in November.

The midterm elections are “going to be close,” Kennedy said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” “It would help if the president would stay focused on cost of living.”

Kennedy cited his recent visits to battleground states, where he’s stumped with GOP candidates, saying, “When moms and dads lie down to sleep at night and can’t,” they’re “worried about the cost of living.”

“And they’re a little worried about Iran because they don’t understand why, but they know the two are inextricably linked,” Kennedy said. “And we’ve got to be straight up and address those things.”

The Louisiana Republican said he wants the president to address the nation on the Iran war, or defer to the secretary of state or chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“I would like to see him give a nationwide address or let [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio and Gen. [Dan] Caine do it and explain why we went into Iran, why we’re winning, and how we’re going to get out,” Kennedy said.

In July, Kennedy said on “Face the Nation” that he would tap Rubio and Caine or others to “explain what’s going on in Iran” to Americans. He noted Sunday that “the president doesn’t take orders from me, he barely takes suggestions.” But he said he’s “pretty persistent,” and will continue to make the recommendation.

The comments come as some GOP candidates in competitive races have broken with the president on the war in recent days, calling for a swift end to the conflict as they emphasized the need to address high gas and diesel prices.  

Kennedy largely defended the president’s actions in Iran Sunday, while saying Iran’s latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart talks was “not a serious offer.”

“We need to continue doing what we’re doing — the sanctions, the blockade,” Kennedy said. “Now there’s just one problem: the strait is at least partially closed, and it’s affected the price of oil. And oil’s in everything, including gasoline, and it’s painful as hell.”

Kennedy said, “We’ve got to either figure out a way to settle this thing, to get the strait open, or to escalate,” though he noted that he would not support sending in troops.

Kennedy also weighed in on a new ad campaign extolling the president, which says it’s paid for by the U.S. government with taxpayer money. The ad has aired on CBS, as well as the other networks. 

“I don’t think any public official, including President Trump or Kristi Noem or John Kennedy, should spend public money on private ads for themselves,” Kennedy said. 

Earlier this year, the Louisiana Republican questioned former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about her decision to spend $220 million on an ad campaign aimed at reducing illegal immigration, where she was featured prominently. The line of questioning came at a hearing days before her ouster.

Kennedy also nodded to the ongoing fight over the Kennedy Center, where Mr. Trump has sought to add his name to the building. 

“I also think that we ought to have a rule that no politician can have a building named after him while he’s alive,” Kennedy said. “I think that would settle a lot of this controversy.”