President Donald Trump on Tuesday kicked off his midterm campaign schedule in Iowa with a pair of messaging gambles, touting an economy on which many voters have soured and urging farmers to give his global tariffs more time.
Standing behind signage that read “Lower Prices” and “Bigger Paychecks,” Trump didn’t begin the Clive, Iowa, rally by recounting his administration’s efforts to lower prices. Rather, he opened by boasting that the state had sent him on a “rocket ship to the White House” in 2016, then griping about a “rigged election” four years later before referring to the Biden administration as “crooked,” “morons” and a “nightmare.”
Once he got to economic matters, Trump blamed his predecessor for the country’s ongoing economic malaise. “Twelve months ago, Joe Biden handed us a mess. We inherited the legacy of record-high inflation,” he said to applause. A half hour later, he touted higher wages under his watch, as well as lower prices for airfare, hotels, car payments and some grocery items.
