Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is hitting a brick wall trying to convince Wall Street and Main Street alike that President Trump's economic policies are working.

According to Politico, no one is buying what Bessent is selling: costs remain higher than when Trump was reelected, interest rates show signs of rising rather than falling, and Wall Street analysts roll their eyes when he talks.

"Trump’s economic-approval rating has languished near historic lows for months amid frustration with cost-of-living issues that are central to the midterm elections," Politico is reporting. "Now, the surge in yields on long-term government debt — a global trend that’s being driven by growing deficits, an artificial intelligence investment boom and rising energy costs due to the Iran war — threatens to stoke that anger by pushing up rates even more on mortgages and consumer loans."

All of that mess has landed in Bessent's lap.

Bessent calls himself the nation's "leading bond salesman," but his efforts to bring long-term yields in line haven't calmed Wall Street's broader inflation "jitters," raising the odds the Federal Reserve lifts short-term borrowing costs. That turmoil could "further derail the GOP’s bid to hold onto its congressional majorities in November."

"It's certainly a political problem," said Ed Yardeni, president and chief investment strategist at Yardeni Research, told Politico "And Bessent's holding the hot potato."

"Clearly not an advantage for us," Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) told Politico when asked about higher interest rates. "The war has not been helpful to the price of gasoline, nor a number of other factors. So, are [voters] going to hold us accountable? I think it's entirely possible that that could be a factor that is not in our advantage."

Bessent "surprised markets" last month with a new bond-buying plan aimed at pushing down long-term borrowing costs, hinting he has a "big toolkit" for future challenges, according to the report.

But Wall Street heavyweights — including his former boss, Stanley Druckenmiller, who called a related $4 billion buyback plan "a subsidy to procrastination" — warn "further intervention" could undermine confidence in U.S. markets.

House Republicans are increasingly uneasy about the wave of senior departures rattling the Pentagon amidst the ongoing Iran war.

The resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, announced Monday night after he reportedly raised concerns with President Donald Trump about the current state of the service branch he led, has become the latest flashpoint in a string of exits that GOP lawmakers say has left the department without stable, Senate-confirmed leadership, reported MS NOW.

Since April, at least four senior Defense officials have left their posts, and the Army currently has neither a confirmed civilian secretary nor a confirmed military chief of staff, and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, told reporters Tuesday that the pace of turnover has worn on him.

"I'm tired of all the churn," Rogers said. "I want to see some stability over there." Pressed on whether the department was facing a leadership vacuum, he answered simply: "Yes."

Rogers isn't the only Republican voicing frustration. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) said he wished there had been less turnover among senior officers, while Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) said he had repeatedly heard that Driscoll was frustrated by the removal of top generals he worked alongside.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), a retired Air Force brigadier general, argued that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been too quick to fire officials without explanation, warning that the lack of transparency could cost Hegseth support in Congress down the line.

Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) said it is "critical" to have Senate-confirmed leaders atop the Army, since acting officials may be uncertain what they're empowered to do. One House Republican on a national security panel, speaking anonymously, said the situation reflects deeper "dissension within the Pentagon at the top that is not resolved."

The unease traces back to a string of forced departures stretching to April, when Hegseth removed Gen. Randy George as Army chief of staff, and June, when Gen. Christopher Donahue stepped down after Hegseth blocked an effort to extend his career.

The Army now has just five active-duty four-star generals, the fewest in decades.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), however, downplayed the concerns.

"I trust the Secretary of War to handle his business over there, and I frankly have not delved into those individual cases," Johnson said. "I literally don't have the bandwidth to go over there and micromanage the Pentagon."

Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) also defended Hegseth's authority to staff the department as he sees fit.

"Secretary Hegseth has every authority to go out there and say we're going to have the right people cover in interim or in permanency, making sure they're the most well-equipped, they're the most motivated, they're the most driven to go out there, train, and be ready for their job, and that's what he's going to do with whoever's name is on the door," Mast said.

President Donald Trump's unusual midterm convention in Texas next week will be missing a substantial number of GOP lawmakers, who admit they have better things to do.

In interviews with Politico, over 45 GOP members of Congress begged off, saying they need to be on the campaign trail, would rather spend time with their families, or see no value in it.

"President Donald Trump has a vision for next week’s GOP convention in Dallas: a televised spectacle putting Republican candidates in front of midterm voters and top party donors just two months before the Election Day — with Trump himself headlining the show," Politico is reporting, before adding that GOP lawmakers aren't taking the bait.

Some cited scheduling conflicts that predated the convention's June announcement, others pointed to weddings and family events, and still others balked at the "five-figure fees party officials want attendees to pay." Republicans in tough races are also increasingly wary of associating too closely with the polarizing president so close to the midterm election.

"I just felt I'd be more useful in my district," said Rep. Tom Barrett, who faces a tough race to keep his central Michigan seat. Asked whether Trump's convention remarks could cause him trouble back home, Barrett said, "I can't control what the president's going to say at the convention, but I can control where I'm at, what I'm doing."

Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) said simply, "I'm going to be in my district." Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-PA) said, "I'm not sure yet," while Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) plans to visit colleges with his daughter instead. Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO), isn't planning to attend either, according to people granted anonymity to describe his decision.

One GOP lawmaker, who did not want their name used, poured cold water on the idea of the gathering calling it “a waste of time” and said the planning has been “a mess.”

“You shouldn’t be having to rally your base at this point,” the member said. “You should be trying to convince independents. Independents are not attending nor watching the midterm convention.”

Another noted the $25,000 "minimum attendee donation" suggested by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), and glibly stated: “I didn’t want to go anyways. That made it easier."