Little pause....

Trump casts stock market plunge as 'little pause' for the midterms

By JESUS RODRIGUEZ

President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed that the stock market was taking a “little pause” amid anticipation for next week’s midterm elections.

After rising more than 350 points Monday morning, the Dow Jones industrial average took a 566-point plunge before closing down after Bloomberg reported that the administration was readying to announce a fresh round of tariffs on China if trade talks were unsuccessful. Trump has repeatedly touted the strong economy he largely inherited in his midterm messaging, claiming that his presidency has been a boon to investors and businesses.

“The Stock Market is up massively since the Election, but is now taking a little pause - people want to see what happens with the Midterms,” Trump wrote online. “If you want your Stocks to go down, I strongly suggest voting Democrat. They like the Venezuela financial model, High Taxes & Open Borders!”

The Trump camp also rolled out a sleek new ad Monday with scenes juxtaposing the current economy with scenes from the 2008 financial crisis, urging voters that “things are getting better” and “we can’t go back.” In the ad, a suburban mother decides to vote Republican after hearing a voice in her car radio say, “We can't get distracted from the biggest issues, which are jobs and our kids’ future.”

But the economy is not the dominant talking point in the final stretch of midterm campaign season. Trump has been ramping up talk of immigration to whip up support from his base while dealing with fallout from a violent week that included a mass shooting targeting a synagogue and bombing attempts aimed at prominent Democrats and CNN.