Sioux City, Iowa — President Trump rallied supporters Thursday from a crowded airplane hangar surrounded by fields on Iowa’s western edge, pledging support for farmers facing harvest delays after a rainy September.
He promoted the harvest fuel relief program unveiled earlier this week, which will offer $8 billion to offset high diesel prices. He also cited $150 million through the Defense Production Act to expand American refining capacity and a waiver allowing use of untaxed red-dyed diesel normally limited to off-road vehicles.
The visit came in the ruby-red 4th Congressional District, which backed Trump by more than 30 points in 2024 compared with his 13-point statewide win. Polls now show a neck-and-neck Senate contest between Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson and Democrat Josh Turek and a slight Democratic edge for governor.
Trump said oil would get even cheaper when the war in Iran ends while defending the operation as necessary to keep Iran from having a nuclear weapon. Nationwide diesel remains stuck above $6 per gallon, and polls show most voters blame the war for surging energy prices.
Sioux City resident Tom McGaffey told CBS News fuel prices were a major concern but predicted conditions would improve. Supporter Curt Strathman said he was “kind of worried” about the political impact of the Iran war, adding he believed its timing would challenge Republicans in the midterms.