Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hit the news circuit today and followed up with a post on X touting economic gains under the administration. Meanwhile, President Trump has been posting a mix of combative press criticism, upbeat trade/policy announcements, and walked back escalatory war rhetoric on Iran — a pattern likely to accelerate as the midterms approach.
Bessent's X post — economic messaging
- Credits the administration's "pro-growth agenda" with "restoring purchasing power for working families" (paraphrased from his post)
- Claims real weekly earnings are up 4.1% for blue-collar manufacturing workers and 5% for blue-collar construction workers since January 2025
- Frames rising real wages as evidence Americans are recovering from what he calls "historic inflation" under the previous administration's tax-and-spend policies
Trump's press-freedom post
- Denies the White House is attacking the free press, insisting it's targeting "FAKE NEWS" instead
- Uses escalating language — "grown like Cancer," "corrupt," "a threat to our National Security"
- Context: This follows the White House barring CNN, MS NOW, and Politico reporters from the complex and deactivating their credentials on September 19–20, 2026 — a move the White House Correspondents' Association and press-freedom groups have called a direct assault on access, and which Trump himself reportedly described in the Oval Office as a "ban on the free press." Legal experts note it may run into the same First Amendment precedent (Sherrill v. Knight) that forced the White House to restore AP's access last year.
Trump's Belarus potash post
- Announces the U.S. is negotiating a "massive Deal" to buy potash from Belarus at prices "substantially less" than current Canadian imports
- Framed as a win for American farmers and ranchers
- No independent confirmation yet of terms, timeline, or whether this factors in Belarus's status as a heavily sanctioned country
Trump on Iran — "big decision" looming
- Told Fox that "very big things are going to be happening in the not-so-distant future on Iran"
- This follows remarks to Axios last week where he said he's approaching a critical juncture in the Iran war over whether to restart massive attacks to bring the conflict to a close
- Direct quote: "I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate them or do I not? It's a big decision. Anything could happen with me."
- Context: Trump has previously indicated he believes the war could continue through the November midterms, and declined to say whether he'd decide on a path forward before or after the election. His comments came ahead of a planned meeting with leaders from six Gulf countries — Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman — at the UN General Assembly, a meeting that could shape whether the U.S. pursues renewed diplomacy or intensified military action. The Pres. walking back the "annihilation" rhetoric from the weekend ("big things" ahead), sounds more friendly politically. The US public is mostly against the war. So his weekend comments may have been out of his frustration, but today's comments are more positive and likely to be the tone we might expect into November.
Your take, reflected
- Expect the administration to amplify favorable-sounding announcements (like the Belarus deal) regardless of how firm the details are, while simultaneously working to shape which outlets get to scrutinize those claims. He knows CNN and the like will question his comments. Of course, it does not mean they can't still write about it, and it may work in their favor and not the President's if worries about Constitutionality. Although there are positives from the Trump admistration as Bessent points out, the negatives loom large as well for many. AAA gas prices are at $4.47 per gallon. The average retail price of diesel in the United States has reached a record high of approximately approxiamately $6.50 per gallon. The 30 year mortage is just below 7.00%.
This article was written by Greg Michalowski at investinglive.com.
Source: Investing Live - News
