President talks up strength of US economy in advance of midterm elections

Trump attempts to shift focus to bread-and-butter issues amid outrage over two fatal shootings by federal agents.Published On 28 Jan 2026United States President Donald Trump has touted his economic record in a superlative-laden speech that sought to shift public focus to bread-and-butter issues amid outrage over two fatal shootings by US border and immigration agents.In a pitch to midterm voters in the Republican stronghold of Iowa on Tuesday, Trump talked up the strength of the economy, hailing his first year as the “greatest” start to a presidential administration in US history.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Benfica’s Jose to kill Real with love, says Madrid boss ‘like his child’list 2 of 4Rwanda sues UK over scrapped asylum seeker deallist 3 of 4Mexico vows ‘solidarity’ with Cuba after oil shipment cancellation reportslist 4 of 4Trump says US will end support for Iraq if al-Maliki reinstated as PMend of list“Today, after just one year of President Trump, our economy is booming, incomes are rising, investment is soaring, inflation has been defeated. Our border is closed – totally closed – and America is respected all over the world,” Trump said in the speech.Trump delivered his speech amid a growing backlash to his immigration crackdown in neighbouring Minnesota, warning that a Democratic Party victory in November’s midterm elections would lead to “very bad things”.“If we lose the midterms, you’ll lose so many of the things that we’re talking about, so many of the assets that we’re talking about, so many of the tax cuts that we’re talking about,” Trump said.He pointed to the strong performance of the US stock market, which is at a record high, as evidence for the success of his tax cuts and tariffs. He also touted a $70m investment by farm-equipment maker Deere & Co in the state of North Carolina.“I made a lot of people rich that I don’t even like… I’ve doubled their net worth,” the president said.Trump also rebuffed criticism that his administration had failed to properly address cost-of-living concerns, accusing Democrats of inflating the issue for political reasons.