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By Gabe Whisnant
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President Donald Trump's speech Tuesday night in Clive, Iowa, was interrupted twice by protesters in the crowd.
As the second one was being removed and drowned out by "U-S-A" from Trump supporters, the president remarked, "You do know they are paid agitators, right? They get paid. These are all paid agitators, that's all they are. They get paid. They're paid insurrectionists. They're sickos."
He called the first protester, also inaudible as the crowd quickly chanted "U-S-A" until the protester was escorted out, a "lunatic."
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The Des Moines Register reported that hundreds gathered outside of the Horizon Events Center to protest Trump’s visit.
Trump's Iowa 'Affordability' Speech: What to Know
Trump on Tuesday delivered his first major pitch of the year ahead of the midterm elections, promoting his administration’s economic record even as the White House continues to grapple with fallout from a second fatal shooting by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis this month.
Speaking in a suburb of Des Moines, Trump highlighted tax cuts he signed into law last year and claimed credit for the stock market’s strong performance, saying he had “made a lot of people rich,” including people “that I don’t even like.”
At times speaking in the third person, Trump told the Iowa audience that the economy had surged during his first year back in office.
“Just after one year of President Trump, our economy is booming,” he said. “Incomes are rising. Investment is soaring. Inflation has been defeated.”
The president again dismissed concerns about high prices as overstated by political opponents, suggesting the issue had been manufactured for political effect.
“They come up with this word ‘affordability,’” Trump said, adding that it only emerged in recent months. He argued that the topic has faded because prices have been falling, saying, “You’re not hearing it so much anymore … because the prices are coming down so much.”
The trip was part of a broader White House strategy to emphasize affordability and economic growth ahead of the November elections, which will determine control of Congress. Officials have said Trump plans to travel outside Washington at least once a week to promote economic messaging aimed at everyday voters.
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That effort has repeatedly been interrupted by crises, including unrest in Minnesota following the deaths of two people shot by federal immigration officers in recent weeks.
Before his speech, Trump stopped at a local restaurant in the Des Moines area, greeting diners and sitting for an interview with Fox News Channel. During the interview, he said he was trying to “de-escalate a little bit” in Minnesota.
The administration is facing heightened scrutiny after the weekend killing of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse who was shot by federal agents during protests in Minneapolis. Pretti had been participating in demonstrations that followed the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
While some senior administration officials quickly portrayed Pretti as a violent threat, Trump said he was withholding judgment and wanted to wait for the results of an investigation into the shooting.
GOP Seeks to Refocus Campaign on Cost of Living
Trump’s visit to Iowa on Tuesday highlighted Republicans’ effort to steer the midterm campaign back toward affordability and economic policy as they seek to blunt criticism over immigration enforcement and other controversies.
Trump was last in the state ahead of the July Fourth holiday to mark the launch of events tied to the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary, a visit that quickly turned into a celebration of his sweeping spending and tax cut package just hours after it cleared Congress.
Speaking Tuesday in Clive, a suburb of Des Moines, Trump promoted the tariffs he has imposed on nearly all U.S. trading partners and pointed to agreements his administration has reached with pharmaceutical companies to lower the cost of some prescription drugs.
Republicans hope the appearance will refocus attention on the tax legislation, which party leaders see as central to their pitch to voters as they work to retain control of Congress in November.
“I invited President Trump back to Iowa to highlight the real progress we’ve made — delivering tax relief for working families, securing the border and growing our economy,” Iowa Republican U.S. Representative Zach Nunn said in a statement ahead of the visit. “Now we’ve got to keep that momentum going and pass my affordable housing bill, deliver for Iowa’s energy producers and bring down costs for working families.”
Trump’s economic messaging tour has also taken him to Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina as the White House seeks to leverage the president’s political influence in key swing states.
But Trump’s off-the-cuff remarks have at times complicated that strategy. During a stop in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, he insisted inflation was no longer a problem and accused Democrats of using the word “affordability” as a political tactic. He also complained that immigrants from what he called “filthy” countries were receiving more attention than his efforts to lower prices.
Iowa’s Competitive House Races Loom Large
While Iowa has shifted toward Republicans in recent national and statewide elections, it remains a focal point in the battle for control of the U.S. House.
Trump won the state by 13 percentage points in 2024 against Democrat Kamala Harris. Still, two of Iowa’s four congressional districts rank among the most competitive in the country and are expected to be battlegrounds again in this year’s midterm elections.
Trump has already endorsed Nunn and fellow GOP U.S. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks. Democrats, who captured three of Iowa’s four House seats during the 2018 midterm elections in Trump’s first term, see the state as a prime opportunity to reclaim ground.
This election will be Iowa’s first since 1968 without an incumbent governor or U.S. senator at the top of the ballot. Republican Governor Kim Reynolds and Republican Senator Joni Ernst have both declined to seek reelection, setting off a round of political reshuffling.
Republican Representatives Randy Feenstra and Ashley Hinson are seeking higher office, running for governor and U.S. senator, respectively. Democrats are looking to state Auditor Rob Sand, the party’s lone statewide officeholder, whose appeal to moderate and conservative voters and $13 million campaign war chest they hope will make Iowa more competitive statewide.
Updates: 1/27/26, 6:54 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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