Trump plans a return to Iowa for fundraiser, official event

Trump is expected to attend a private fundraiser in West Des Moines on June 11, according to the Republican Party of Iowa. There are no plans for a campaign rally during this trip, but he is expected to do an additional official event in the area, a source familiar with planning told CNN.

"We are thrilled to welcome the President back to the heart of Trump country, where Iowans are proud of his ground-breaking policies that have brought 5.4 million new jobs, lower taxes, and fair trade deals for American farmers and manufacturers," Iowa GOP chairman Jeff Kaufmann said in a statement.

The trip was first reported by the Des Moines Register, which noted that Gov. Kim Reynolds, Sen. Joni Ernst, Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Steve King will be invited, as well as other elected Iowa Republican officials.

Trump spent a significant amount of time in Iowa during the 2016 presidential campaign. The day he famously descended the Trump Tower escalator and declared his candidacy nearly four years ago, Trump boarded his 757 and headed straight for Des Moines, where he gave a wide-ranging speech and attendees received free "TRUMP: Make America Great Again" T-shirts.

Though he ultimately lost the caucuses to Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, Trump roundly won Iowa's six electoral votes in 2016, securing 51.7% of the vote to Hillary Clinton's 42.2%. But two House seats in Iowa flipped from Republican to Democrat in the 2018 midterm elections, a sign of the state's shifting demographics.

A March CNN/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll of registered Republicans in Iowa found a strong approval rating for the President. Eighty-one percent approve of the way the President is handling his job and 82% say they have a favorable view of Trump. Roughly two-thirds (67%) say they'll definitely vote to re-elect the president, and about 6 in 10 (59%) are at least fairly confident he'll win in 2020.

One of Trump's top 2020 rivals, former vice president Joe Biden, will also be in Iowa on June 11, according to a Biden aide, the first -- but likely not last -- time the two will overlap on the trail.

CNN's Arlette Saenz and Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.

Let's block ads! (Why?)