President Trump received a hero’s welcome in the heartland as he kicked off a midterm election roadshow to promote his economic agenda and combat polls showing that Americans are skittish about pocketbook issues.
Mr. Trump got a loud round of applause and chants of “USA! USA!” at the Machine Shed Restaurant in Urbandale, Iowa, ahead of a rally-style speech in the nearby town of Clive.
“You had gasoline at $4.50, now it’s at $1.99 in many places,” Mr. Trump told diners, only to be told it’s down to $1.89.
“$1.89!” Mr. Trump exclaimed.
At the rally, a raucous crowd cheered as Mr. Trump argued he is turning around a “mess” left by President Biden.
“After just one year of President Trump, our economy is booming, incomes are rising, investment is soaring, inflation has been defeated, our border is closed — totally closed,” Mr. Trump said. “America is respected all over the world.”
The Iowa stop will kick off a series of weekly trips by the president to promote his domestic agenda.
Mr. Trump said GOP policies will lead to boom times in 2026, though surveys say many Americans aren’t feeling it.
The Conference Board on Tuesday said its closely watched Consumer Confidence Index fell by 9.7 points in January to 84.5 points.
The index measures how optimistic people are about their personal finances and the state of the economy. A lower number indicates greater pessimism.
The January figure was the worst index reading since May 2014, even “surpassing its COVID-19 pandemic depths,” said Dana M. Peterson, the board’s chief economist.
“Confidence collapsed in January, as consumer concerns about both the present situation and expectations for the future deepened,” she said.
Write-in responses to the January survey skewed toward pessimism, with reference to high prices and concerns about tariffs, politics and the labor market.
Concerns about sluggish hiring prompted the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates three times to close out 2025.
Central bankers might refuse to cut rates again on Wednesday, however, feeling they’ve done enough to balance concerns about hiring with worries that steep cuts would fuel inflation.
Mr. Trump said the Fed needs to do more to juice the economy.
His first year back in the White House featured prominent trade fights with other countries and efforts to win peace in far-flung lands. However, recent polling suggests voters want Mr. Trump to buckle down and address issues like affordability and health care.
“Trump needs to focus on domestic issues because every poll shows those are at the top of voter concerns. People are having problems making ends meet and are worried about their financial futures,” said Darrell West, a senior fellow in governance studies at the left-leaning Brookings Institution.
He said the president has devoted more time to international issues than domestic ones, even though he “campaigned and won on the latter.”
Working the room at the Iowa restaurant, Mr. Trump toggled between issues at home and abroad.
He called a federal immigration agent fatally shooting a protester in Minneapolis “unfortunate.”
He boasted about efforts to secure the border and build artificial intelligence centers and highlighted his effort to transform Venezuela and upend the communist government in Cuba.
“Anybody interested in Cuba in this room? Not that many,” Mr. Trump told the Iowans. “Cuba will be failing. Cuba is really a nation that is very close to failing.”
Mr. Trump stumped in Iowa with Rep. Zach Nunn, a Republican who will try to defend his swing-district seat in November.
The president said that, traditionally, it is hard for the party in power, in this case Republicans, to defend congressional majorities when they also control the White House.
“With that being said, the polls look very good,” Mr. Trump told diners. “You have great congressmen and women here, and we love Iowa.”
