Politics
Trump return to Iowa likely ahead of high-stakes midterms, GOP gubernatorial candidate says
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
President Donald Trump’s campaign blitz to help Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections will bring him back to Iowa just a few months before the November races take place, a Republican gubernatorial hopeful there said.
Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, was one of several House Republicans traveling with the president during his latest stop in the Hawkeye State on Tuesday, which Trump capped off with a rally-style speech in Clive in the late afternoon. The conservative Republican is also the frontrunner in the Republican gubernatorial primary there, and is expected to face off against Democrat state official Rob Sand in November.
“He’s coming back. So we have the 250th anniversary — that’s going to be at the state fair. He’s come down for that. We’re going to have a big bash, it’s going to be exciting. That’s gonna be a big deal,” Feenstra told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. “Hopefully he comes back a few more times.”
The Iowa State Fair will take place in Des Moines from Aug. 13 to 23, according to the event’s website.
SEN TIM SCOTT: REPUBLICANS JUST GETTING STARTED, BUT NEED TIME TO STOP RADICAL LEFTISTS
Left: Then-candidate and former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally, Jan. 5, 2024, in Mason City, Iowa. Right: Iowa Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra, gubernatorial candidate, speaks during Iowa’s Roast and Ride, Oct. 11, 2025, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Cody Scanlan/The Register/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
That’s roughly three months ahead of what’s expected to be a tough midterm season for Republicans across the country. History dictates that the president’s party normally suffers political setbacks during the election cycle two years after power changes hands.
Meanwhile, Democrats across the country have fallen back into positioning Trump as a divisive political boogeyman. But Feenstra argued the opposite, and said Trump’s effort to stay active during the election cycle will “absolutely” benefit Republicans.
TRUMP SAYS DEMOCRATS ARE ‘MEANER’ THAN REPUBLICANS, WARNS OF IMPEACHMENT IF GOP LOSES MIDTERMS
President Donald Trump speaks to guests as he visits the Machine Shed restaurant, Jan. 27, 2026, in Urbandale, Iowa. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“He carried Iowa by 13 points, and him engaging and stimulating the base — I mean, he turns out voters like nobody else. He had 77 million Americans that voted for him in the last election talking about making America great again. Now he’s talking about lowering prices, making things more affordable,” Feenstra said.
“He’s lowered the price on gas, he lowered the price on eggs, he’s lowered the price on a lot of pharmaceuticals. He’s lowered the price on healthcare. I mean, people are going to get the biggest refund they’ve ever had through…the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. These are all things that are really relatable to people, I think that will help turn people out.”
Other House Republicans who traveled with Trump on Tuesday are Reps. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, and Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, the latter of whom is running for U.S. Senate.
President Donald Trump arrives to speak about the economy at a rally, Jan. 27, 2026, in Clive, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Before the speech, they and Trump traveled to the Machine Shed, a restaurant near the rally venue where they met with everyday Iowa voters.
“They wanted their hats signed, they want their napkins signed, they wanted to talk to him about, you know, how things were, and what he has done over the last year has truly benefited them,” Feenstra said. “We had one gentleman pray with him, which I found very interesting. He just said, ‘Hey, Mr. President, will you pray with me?’ And they prayed together. So it was just the Iowa way of life.”
Politics
After lawsuit, ICE pauses construction of Bay Area detention facility
The federal government agreed to temporarily hold off on construction of a planned Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Northern California.
The voluntary pause until Sept. 9 comes after the California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and Santa Clara County officials sued the Trump administration last month to block the facility from being developed near Gilroy. The lawsuit remains ongoing.
“This pause in the construction, demolition, and development at the site of the challenged ICE facility is a significant step towards protecting our people, our communities, and our environment while the case remains ongoing,” Bonta said in a statement Monday night.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
State and local officials believe the facility will be used for short-term detention of up to 150 people at a time, though ICE denied that it would be a detention center.
Community members and advocates for immigrants swiftly opposed the project. ICE has consistently looked to increase its detention capacity in California, where eight detention centers can now hold a combined 9,000 people, though the state has long been a thorn in the agency’s side.
The halt is part of a compromise between both sides involved in the legal action. After the state and county submitted a request for the court to temporarily halt the project, a hearing was set for Oct. 7.
Now, state and federal officials jointly requested that the court move up the hearing by at least a month. The agreement also extends how much time the federal government has to respond.
A federal judge signed off on the agreement Monday night.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in San José, alleges that the leased land is zoned exclusively for agricultural use and that the federal government violated laws requiring state and county notification, as well as procedural steps before beginning construction.
Politics
Why Supreme Court Justices Are Asking for More Security
Supreme Court justices are asking lawmakers on Capitol Hill to increase their 2027 budget, with most of the additional funding earmarked for security. Ann E. Marimow, a New York Times reporter, explains why the justices say these measures are necessary to protect them from rising threats.
Politics
Trump reveals who he’s eyeing to replace Lindsey Graham
GOP scrambles to replace Sen. Lindsey Graham
Former Kevin McCarthy communications director Mark Bednar discusses the urgent political scramble to replace Sen. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina. He emphasizes President Donald Trump and Gov. McMaster’s need to quickly coordinate an interim appointment and rally around a strong Republican candidate for the impending special election. Potential candidates include Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Rep. Russell Fry, with warnings against infighting.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
President Donald Trump teased who he may like to see as a long-term replacement for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., as a special election to lock in a candidate for the seat fast approaches.
Private and public jockeying is already underway to snag Trump’s coveted endorsement in the special election, which is slated for Aug. 11, with two lawmakers already expressing interest in launching a campaign.
And as members of the South Carolina GOP congressional delegation and beyond line up for the race, the president hinted that he may already have a favorite: Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C.
GRAHAM ALLY RIPS ‘THIRSTY’ REPUBLICANS JOCKEYING TO REPLACE LATE SENATOR
Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks with reporters aboard Air Force One with President Donald Trump and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on the way back to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 4, 2026. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
“I think Russell Fry, a young congressman, is outstanding, and that could happen. I could see that happening,” Trump told Newsmax on Monday night. “I think he’s a very, very talented person.”
Trump backed Fry in his first bid for Congress in 2022, where he toppled former Rep. Tom Rice, R-S.C., in the primary. Rice was one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021, riots on Capitol Hill.
‘THE HALLS OF THE SENATE ALREADY FEEL EMPTY’: TEARFUL THUNE HONORS LINDSEY GRAHAM AS SISTER TAKES HIS SEAT
“He took the place of somebody that was — I mean, he’s doing much better than the person that preceded him,” Trump said. “He’s been very popular in the state, so I think a name like Russell Fry is somebody you can watch out for and there are probably some others.”
Trump’s comments on Fry come after Politico reported that the lawmaker has been communicating with the White House about a run and was viewed as a top contender for the president’s stamp of approval. Fox News Digital did not immediately hear back from the White House or Fry on whether he’s being eyed for the special election.
LINDSEY GRAHAM’S SISTER APPOINTED TO SENATE AS GOP RUSHES TO PROTECT FRAGILE MAJORITY
Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., arrives for a House Republican Conference caucus meeting at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington on May 13, 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
In the meantime, Trump threw his support behind Graham’s sister, Sen.-designate Darline Graham, to take over the lawmaker’s seat for the remainder of his term. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her on Monday, and she’ll be sworn in to the role Tuesday afternoon.
Trump said that he believed Graham would be there “only on an interim basis.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Meanwhile, Reps. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Ralph Norman, R-S.C., are eyeing the race, too. Norman has gone so far as to ask Trump for his endorsement.
Both Mace and Norman failed to clinch the GOP nomination for governor in South Carolina, which ultimately went to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, who toppled Trump-backed South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pam Evette.
-
Sports3 minutes agoAmerican League stars outshine National League in 96th MLB All-Star game
-
Technology9 minutes agoBefore you connect another smart TV, tablet or phone, lock it down
-
Business15 minutes ago
Commentary: Trump greenlights California’s dumbest water project
-
Entertainment21 minutes ago‘Hail Satan? Not me.’ Charley Crockett fires satanic duo Twin Temple, so Jack White hires them
-
Lifestyle27 minutes agoIt’s time for the night trip to the beach — the grunion are running
-
Politics33 minutes agoAfter lawsuit, ICE pauses construction of Bay Area detention facility
-
Science39 minutes agoAnger grows in Boyle Heights as warehouse fire leaves stench, flies and vermin in its wake
-
Sports45 minutes agoSpain delivers surprise rout of France, clinches berth into World Cup final