Since the successful vote putting Justice Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court of the United States, President Trump has been characterizing the events surrounding that confirmation to fire the fears of his political base, according to Philip Elliott, a Washington correspondent for Time, Inc. Trump has been using the protests of various citizen groups and the challenges by Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee to characterize the Democrats as an “angry mob” out to still “get” Justice Kavanaugh and Trump, himself – says Elliott. This line of rhetoric is designed specifically by Trump to gin-up the fears of Republicans going into the November 2018 midterm elections and to spark them to go to the polls to protect Trump, Elliott notes. Elliott also characterizes, in the same way, Trump’s statement to “60 Minutes” that Kavanaugh would not have won confirmation if Trump had not attacked and mocked Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and her testimony. Trump calculates that his attack on the “Me Too” movement also amps up his political base. Elliott says this election will be a referendum on President Trump. Although the situation is important to many, Elliott does not believe the foreign policy issues surrounding the disappearance of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi and his alleged murder by Saudi Arabian officials will have any impact of the impending midterm elections. He agrees that the President is hedging when he espouses the line that Khashoggi may have been killed by “rogue killers” instead of blaming Saudi officials. However, Elliott does not believe that the bulk of Americans care that much about this issue. Elliott, however, thinks that any new moves by the White House on immigration may have an election impact along with how FEMA handles the recent damages in the South from hurricanes Florence and Michael. Elliott downplays that the President’s potential meddling with the Attorney General’s position and other possible Justice Department moves will have any great impact on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and potential indictments. Elliott is convinced that Mueller has a game plan to counter any attack on his office by the President. He also notes that new counsel will be on the horizon in the White House and with the President’s outside counsel team – after the midterms. Elliott has been with Time since 2015. Prior to that, he served a decade with the Associated Press covering politics, numerous campaigns, campaign finance, education and the White House. He has covered three Presidents: George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump