ECONOMY/ELECTION/FEDERAL RESERVE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump has one main job between now and Election Day 2020: Don’t screw up the economy. And he’s increasingly listening to internal and external advisers telling him the best way to postpone an economic slowdown is to turn down the burners on his trade wars, avoid any fiscal meltdowns and lay off criticizing the Federal Reserve chairman. All of this could flip on a presidential whim. But at the moment, Trump is poised to sign a spending increase that removes the risk of a potentially disastrous debt default and avoids sucking federal dollars out of the economy. Top advisers are jetting off to China next week to continue talks toward a potential trade deal. And after months of presidential bashing, Fed Chair Jerome Powell is poised to deliver a long-desired rate cut next week. If all this holds, some of the biggest risks to Trump’s top reelection selling point could fade.”
–Ben White and Daniel Lippman, “Trump’s ‘don’t screw it up’ caucus keeps winning,” Politico, July 25, 2019 12:00 pm