US President Donald Trump has warned of “very bad things” if Republicans fail to retain control of Congress in the November midterm elections, as he launched an intensive nationwide travel campaign amid economic unease and unrest linked to immigration enforcement.
Speaking at a rally in Iowa on Tuesday, Trump urged supporters to deliver Republican victories in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, despite polling that shows his approval ratings under pressure less than a year after returning to office.
“I’m here because we’re starting the campaign to win the midterms,” Trump told the crowd. “We’ve got to win the midterms. If we lose, you’ll lose so many of the things we’re talking about—the policies, the tax cuts—and it would lead to very bad things.”
The rally marked one of the earliest campaign-style appearances tied to the midterms in a state traditionally central to US presidential politics. The White House has said Trump plans to travel weekly across the country in the run-up to the vote, aware that midterm elections have historically been difficult for incumbent presidents.
Trump’s remarks focused heavily on the economy, a growing vulnerability for his administration as voters express frustration over affordability. While reiterating claims that the United States has entered a new “Golden Age” and insisting that prices are falling, Trump acknowledged the challenge of persuading voters.
"No matter how well things are going, in past elections, if something happens, the voters turn," Trump stated.
However, developments in neighbouring Minnesota, where two people have died this month during an intensified federal immigration crackdown, overshadowed the speech. Trump had earlier told Fox News he would “de-escalate a little bit” following the fatal shooting of a nurse by federal agents in Minneapolis at the weekend, but he largely avoided the issue during his public remarks.
The political fallout from immigration enforcement has placed Trump in a rare position of vulnerability on one of his core issues. While polls suggest broad support for mass deportations, recent surveys indicate discomfort among voters with the aggressive tactics used by immigration authorities.
During the Iowa rally, Trump briefly returned to immigration, renewing criticism of Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, while his deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, who accompanied him on the trip, described the Minneapolis shooting victim without evidence as a “would-be assassin”.
Trump also lashed out at opinion polls showing declining support, calling them unfair, despite consistent findings from multiple surveys. A recent New York Times/Siena poll put his approval rating at 40 per cent.
At several points, protesters interrupted the rally, prompting Trump to dismiss them as “paid insurrectionists” and “sickos”.
Trump once more hinted at the possibility of running for a third term in spite of constitutional restrictions in comments that attracted fresh attention. Referring to his disputed claim of winning the 2020 election, he asked supporters whether he should do it “a fourth time”.
Trump was joined in Iowa by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and visited a local diner before the rally, speaking with residents as part of an effort to project economic confidence.
The president’s warnings came as fresh data showed US consumer confidence fell sharply in January to its lowest level since 2014, adding to concerns that economic sentiment could shape the outcome of the midterm elections.
With control of Congress at stake, Trump is seeking to frame the vote as a referendum on his economic agenda, even as immigration tensions, public unrest and weakened consumer confidence complicate his message.
