ELECTION/POLLS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Voters in Ohio — the electoral bellwether that’s picked the winner of every presidential race since 1964 — have generally positive views of international trade and want the U.S. to play a leading role in world affairs, according to a new POLITICO/AARP survey. But the poll of voters in the key swing state also shows the complicated nature of public opinion about the country’s place in the world in the era of President Donald Trump. Just a quarter of voters, 25 percent, say the U.S. should take the leading role in world affairs. A majority rejects the U.S. as a hegemon, however. Forty-six percent say the U.S. should play a major role in world affairs, but not the leading role. And a combined 19 percent say the U.S. should play a minor role in world affairs, or no role at all. In a sign of how the GOP has changed under Trump, the partisan divides on this question are modest. Among Republicans, 28 percent say the U.S. should take the leading role in world affairs, only slightly more than the 24 percent of Democrats who say that’s the role the U.S. should play.”
–Steven Shepard and Tyler Fisher, “Trump Loses Altitude in Ohio Ahead of Midterms,” Politico, September 17, 2018