President Donald Trump is taking his midterm push to Iowa on Thursday, pairing a rally for Republican candidates with a new farm relief pitch as the fight for Senate control enters its final stretch.
Trump is scheduled to speak at Sioux Gateway Airport in Sioux City on Oct. 22, with remarks set for 6 p.m. Central, 7 p.m. Eastern, according to the official event listing. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Central, and the program begins at 4:30 p.m.
The president’s mission: energize Republican voters behind Senate candidate Ashley Hinson, gubernatorial nominee Zach Lahn and GOP candidates further down the ballot—with Election Day less than two weeks away.
Hinson faces Democrat Josh Turek in a competitive contest for Iowa’s open Senate seat. Republicans also face a difficult governor’s race, where Democrat Rob Sand has consistently led in polling, Iowa Public Radio reported.
A Harvest-Season Message
Trump will arrive with a policy announcement aimed squarely at farm country: his Harvest Fuel Relief Program, unveiled Monday in Kansas to help “offset diesel costs during the harvest season.”
The Agriculture Department says the program will provide $8 billion in assistance, using a formula to cover part of producers’ estimated losses during the 2026 crop year. The Farm Service Agency will administer the payments, with commodity-specific rates for major covered crops scheduled for release in November. USDA outlined the program here.
That gives Trump a concrete relief measure to highlight in an agricultural state where fuel costs and affordability have become major campaign concerns.
Thursday’s visit may also be the first of two closing appearances. Iowa Public Radio reports that Trump is expected to return to the state Nov. 1, two days before the election, although details of that stop have not been announced.
Trump Sounds Alarm Over Alaska Ballot
Even as he prepares to rally Iowa Republicans, Trump is pressing another Senate concern thousands of miles away.
In a Wednesday night Truth Social post, the president called Alaska’s Senate contest “totally confusing” because incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan is sharing the ballot with Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a separate candidate from Petersburg. Democrat Mary Peltola is also competing for the seat.
“It’s ridiculous that the Court didn’t stop this SCAM,” Trump wrote.
The president said his team was examining legal options to remove the challenger, accusing Democrats of election interference.
“We are looking at powerful legal options to remove the fraudulent Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. from the Ballot, and holding the Democrats accountable for their Election Interference, in the pursuit of Justice and Fairness,” he wrote.
Those accusations remain disputed. The Petersburg candidate has maintained that running was his own idea. The Alaska Democratic Party and Peltola’s campaign previously told ABC News they had no involvement or affiliation with either Sullivan.
The ballot fight has already reached Alaska’s courts. Election officials initially disqualified the challenger over concerns that his name and campaign materials could mislead voters. A Superior Court judge reversed that decision, and the Alaska Supreme Court subsequently ordered that he be allowed on the primary ballot. He advanced to November under the state’s top-four primary system.
Trump asserted Wednesday that the incumbent Sullivan was “leading by a lot.” That was the president’s characterization, rather than a polling finding established here.
From Iowa’s farm belt to Alaska’s unusual ballot battle, Trump is keeping Senate races front and center. Thursday’s Sioux City rally gives him another opportunity to turn that attention into Republican turnout before Nov. 3.
