MSNBC political commentator Chris Matthews said Tuesday on "Morning Joe" that Republicans may be able to retain control of the House of Representatives after the 2018 elections by touting their tax cuts.
Host Joe Scarborough asked what decision would come to define President Donald Trump’s tenure, and Matthews said tax reform would matter most in the 2018 midterm elections.
"What has Trump done in the first year?" Scarborough asked. "Break it down."
Matthews pointed to the GOP passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as Trump’s "big decision."
"Politically, going into this next election in November, the tax cut," Matthews answered. "Because that's what the Republicans are going to beat the drum on every day till then and possibly save the House with that strategy. So that was his big decision."
Republicans’ tax reform law reduced the corporate tax rate from 35 to 21 percent and cut taxes for most individuals and households. It has also led to businesses increasing wages, offering workers bonuses, and investing more in the United States.
Matthews argued that Trump’s "lucidity" was a key factor to his prospects of success, since presidents' personal decisions drive events rather than parties or external factors.
"I do think about lucidity all the time lately with Trump, the president, because I do think we've seen in our history the person of the president, not the party and not even the place in history, drives the events," Matthews said. "W [President George W. Bush] took us into Iraq. Harry Truman dropped the bomb. These are personal decisions made by one human being."