Iowa Farmers Slam Trump ‘Chaotic’ Rally Plans Amid Turek-Hinson Senate Race - Newsweek

The Iowa Farmers Union (IFU) president criticized the numerous changes to President Donald Trump's rally schedule and said the "chaotic" behavior is indicative of his tariff policies that have harmed farmers in the state.

IFU President Aaron Lehman held a press conference Friday morning in which the IFU detailed why it was endorsing Democratic Senate candidate Josh Turek over Republican U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson. Hinson, who has been endorsed by Trump, has also been endorsed by the Iowa Farm Bureau. Farmers make up a small but influential part of Iowa's voter base, with both candidates advocating for them in their campaign messaging.

At the press conference, Lehman outlined the Trump-era policies he said have been most damaging to farmers and criticized the uncertainty surrounding the president's rally schedule, as plans shifted for Trump to appear in Iowa on Sunday in support of Hinson.

"This news conference was initially scheduled in response to the announcement of a rally featuring President Trump in Dubuque on Sunday. Then the rally was off. And then the rally is back on," Lehman said. "Who knows, five minutes from now maybe we'll hear new news. This 'is it on, is it off' thing going on with the rally reminds farmers of the Trump tariff policy, where it's been chaotic."

“It isn’t helpful for farmers when we have chaotic policy," he added.

Trump will hold back-to-back rallies in Kansas and Iowa on Sunday, putting two campaign stops back on his schedule after Republicans said Thursday that the events would no longer take place as planned.

In response to an inquiry from Newsweek, the White House provided a statement on background from a source familiar with the plans, who said the rallies are “back on.”

“President Trump loves his supporters, and in addition to nearly 20 tele-rallies, he will hold back-to-back rallies in Kansas and Iowa on Sunday,” the source said. “The rallies were rearranged for scheduling purposes to accommodate dozens of additional tele-rallies that were recently added to the President’s schedule.”

The Hawkeye State is among this year's most competitive Senate races, as Turek and Hinson vie for the open seat left by retiring Republican Senator Joni Ernst. Recent polls have showed a tight race between the two candidates.

Lehman told Newsweek after the press conference that the Trump policies most impactful to farmers were the "chaotic" tariff policy that hurt markets both in the short- and long-term, and the U.S. involvement in the Iran war.

"It just caused such a huge spike in costs for fertilizer and diesel," Lehman told Newsweek. "I hear those two things the most from farmers about the damage being done on their farm."

Refined fuels have risen faster than crude oil since Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz where one-fifth of the world's oil transits.

During the press conference, Lehman said that soaring diesel prices have put added stress on Iowa farmers. Currently, the average price for a gallon of diesel in Iowa is $6.09, according to AAA. One year ago, the price was $3.52. The difference can amount to as much as $300 extra gas cost per day to operate one combine harvester during the harvest season, Lehman said. Pesticides and fertilizer prices have also surged.

Lehman added that the president's tariff policies on the country's trading partners have also thrown trade markets into chaos which have damaged long-term relationships between Iowa farmers and their customers.

Over the past several years, IFU and its member farmers have visited Washington, D.C., to talk about the trade and cost issues and while Lehman said they had productive meetings with Hinson's staff, their attempts to meet with her were unsuccessful. Newsweek reached out to Hinson's campaign by email for comment on Friday.

"The policy decisions coming out of Washington have been extremely unpopular," Lehman told Newsweek. "What is even more surprising from farmers, I'm hearing, is that they expected Iowa politicians to stand up to it and talk about what this means for Iowa farms and Iowa small towns."

Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Anthony Murray and Gabe Whisnant.