Facing a rough political climate as his party aims to hold their House and Senate majorities in this year’s midterm elections, President Donald Trump on Tuesday kicks off what the White House says will be weekly stops in states with key ballot box showdowns.

It’s part of the president’s push to showcase he’s working to combat rising prices, a top issue on the minds of Americans. And as the Trump administration reels amid two fatal shootings by federal agents in Minnesota this month of U.S. citizens protesting aggressive tactics to deport millions of undocumented migrants, it’s also an effort to pivot to the economy from immigration.

Trump’s first stop is Iowa, a one-time Midwestern battleground turned red-leaning state the president carried by double digits in 2024 where Republicans are now playing defense as they defend open Senate and gubernatorial seats, as well as three competitive GOP-controlled House districts.

In suburban Des Moines, Trump will visit a local business, meet with lawmakers, and deliver an address on the economy.

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“The economy is good. It’s all good. Prices are coming way down, and we have a lot of very positive news,” Trump touted as he departed for Iowa.

And ahead of the trip, a White House official told Fox News Digital, “Inflation has cooled, economic growth is accelerating, and real wages are up for American workers.”

Deep concerns over inflation boosted Trump and Republicans to sweeping victories at the ballot box in 2024, as they won back the White House and Senate and keep their House majority.

But Democrats say their decisive victories in November’s 2025 elections, and their overperformances in special elections and other ballot box showdowns last year, were fueled by their laser focus on affordability amid persistent inflation.

The president’s approval on the economy has consistently hovered in negative territory since last March, and has dragged down his overall approval ratings during his first year back in the White House.

Among the most recent national polls — a Wall Street Journal survey conducted earlier this month put Trump’s approval rating on the economy at 44%-54%, and he stood at 35%-56% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll in the field this past weekend.

TRUMP VOWS HE’LL BE ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL ‘A LOT’ THIS YEAR

“Donald Trump has tanked the economy for working families, making the cost-of-living an inescapable hell for millions of Americans. Everyday Americans are drowning under the weight of rising costs, flat wages, high unemployment, and record layoffs — it’s no wonder they’re concerned about making ends meet,” Democratic National Committee Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer argued in a statement.

But the Wall Street Journal poll indicated that congressional Republicans had an 11-point advantage over their Democratic rivals when it came to which party was better equipped to handle the economy.

Iowa is friendly ground for Trump, who convincingly won the state in his two presidential victories and one re-election defeat.

But a memo from Democratic National Committee (DNC) Deputy Communications Director Abhi Rahman claimed, “However hard Trump tries to explain away his failing economy, it’s abundantly clear that Americans aren’t buying it, especially in Iowa, where Trump’s policies are raising costs for Iowans, devastating Iowa’s agricultural economy, and destroying thousands of jobs that working Iowans rely on.”

The White House disagrees, with the official arguing that “Iowans are better off with President Trump and Republican leadership,” noting that gas prices in the state “ranked the second lowest in the nation.”

And pointing to the various tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Trump’s domestic legislative achievement so far in his second term, the official said, “Iowans could see their wages rise up to $61,000 over the next four years.”

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The GOP, as it works to hold its congressional majorities, is dealing with a low propensity issue: MAGA voters who don’t always go to the polls when Trump’s name isn’t on the ballot.

But even though he’s not on the ballot this year, Trump pledged last week that he’ll be on the campaign trail “a lot” on behalf of fellow Republicans running in the midterms.

Trump made stops last month and earlier this month in the key battleground states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Michigan to highlight his accomplishments on the economy.

And the weekly trips advertised by the White House are a big change from Trump’s first term, when the president didn’t start his campaign travel blitz until Labor Day.

Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters emphasized in a Fox News Digital interview earlier this month that “the President of the United States is our secret weapon… He’s laser focused.”

“We got to make sure we turn our voters out, and we got to make sure that we have people energized. And there’s nobody that can energize our base more than President Trump,” Gruters added.

And the White House official said that the president “has always been most in his element when he’s interacting with everyday Americans, and the President’s domestic travel will allow him to most effectively underscore how this Administration has and continues to deliver economic prosperity for the American people.”

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Democrats are just fine with Trump hitting the road.

“Trump has historically low approval ratings because he has put America last, sold out working families to hand out favors to billionaires, and made life unaffordable. Hitting the road will only remind Americans of his failures and force GOP candidates to tie themselves to his cratering presidency,” DNC chair Ken Martin argued in a statement to Fox News Digital.

DETROIT (FOX 2) – The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) is dealing with dozens of water main breaks around the city as a cold snap continues.

Gary Brown, the DWSD director, said Tuesday morning that there were “at least a couple dozen” water main breaks.

Water main break flooding:

At least three of those water main breaks led to flooding, which then resulted in frozen streets.

People on Laing near Britain, not far from Morang, have reportedly been complaining about a water main break since Monday, and 911 dispatchers have fielded calls about vehicles stuck in the ice and water.

Another water main break flooded about ⅔ of Bringard near Barlow, which is south of Eight Mile, before freezing.

Also on the east side, a water main break with less severe flooding was reported on Dequindre near State Fair.

What they’re saying:

“This is historic, regionally, to have this deep of a freeze for this long of a period of time,” Brown said.

According to Brown, the breaks have been the result of frigid temperatures and shifting.

Dozens of water main breaks reported in Detroit

The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is going to be busy Tuesday, handling dozens of water main breaks around the city. Department director Gary Brown said a historic deep freeze is leading to a high number of breaks all at once. 

What’s next:

Brown said the department is prioritizing which breaks get repaired first. 

“The prioritization is any person or street that may be completely out of water,” he said, noting that as of Monday night, no residents were out of water.

While crews work to repair the breaks, the water department is urging residents to be patient.

“When you’ve got 30 or 40 water main breaks, we can’t get to everyone at the same time,” Brown said.

Rockford, IL- The Rockford IceHogs (16-22-2-2) begin a three-game road trip tonight against the Milwaukee Admirals (18-17-2-1) at 7 p.m. The two teams will meet for the eighth time this season and the fourth at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. 

The Matchup:

All Time Series: 85-81-15-12

Season Series: 3-2-2-0

Tale of the Tape: The IceHogs and Admirals continue their season series tonight as Rockford looks to get back into the win column after back-to-back losses at home last weekend. The Admirals sit three points ahead of the IceHogs in the standings after sweeping the Iowa Wild last week. The Milwaukee power play still leads the AHL with a 29.5% conversion rate through 38 games. Daniel Carr, Jake Lucchini and Ryan Ufko all lead Milwaukee with five points against Rockford so far this season. Defenseman Ethan Del Mastro leads Rockford in scoring against Milwaukee with a goal and five assists.

Team Leaders: 

Milwaukee:

 Points- Ryan Ufko – 38 points 

 Goals- Daniel Carr- 16G 

 Assists- Ryan Ufko- 28A

Rockford:

 Points- Brett Seney- 33 points 

 Goals- Rem Pitlick- 13G

 Assists- Brett Seney- 23A

Three Things to Know:

Hit the Road: The Hogs take to the road for three straight and open up the week against the Admirals before heading to Winnipeg to battle the Manitoba Moose for a two-game series. The IceHogs have faired well away from the BMO Center this season, posting a 10-10-1 record, collecting points in 52% of road contests. Rockford will take on a Milwaukee team that is 12-5-1 at home this season and who shutout the IceHogs 3-0 the last time the two teams met in Milwaukee. Rockford is 1-1-1 in the first three games in UW-M Panther arena this season. The IceHogs will then take on the Manitoba Moose where they split their first series up north with a 7-3 win on Dec. 20 and took a 4-1 loss Dec. 21 at the Canada Life Centre. 

Sinking the Ads: Despite dropping their last contest with Milwaukee, the IceHogs have held the Admirals to three goals or less in each of the first seven meetings this season. The Central division foes have battled in multiple one-goal contests and have had three games head to overtime with the IceHogs going 1-2 in the overtime battles.  Rockford has gone 19/22 on the penalty kill through their first seven games against Milwaukee this season. 

Lardis Returns: The Chicago Blackhawks assigned forward Nick Lardis to the IceHogs yesterday afternoon. The rookie has skated in 21 games with the Blackhawks during the 2025-26 campaign, logging seven points (5G, 2A). Lardis was named to the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic roster along with defenseman Kevin Korchinski to represent the IceHogs. His six power play goals still lead the club despite his call-up to the NHL in December. Lardis has also tallied 26 points (13G, 13A) in 24 games with Rockford this season. The Ontario native has three goals and two assists in six games against Milwaukee this season. 

2025-26 Matchups: 

The IceHogs will take on the Milwaukee Admirals Tuesday, January 27 at 7 p.m. at UW-M Panther Arena. The IceHogs will return to the BMO Center Saturday, February 6 against the Iowa Wild as the IceHogs induct Michael Leighton into the Rockford Ring of Honor. Tickets are available at icehogs.com.