Joe Biden to visit Menlo, Iowa on Tuesday
It’s the president’s first stop in Iowa since the 2020 election.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks during a Biden drive-in rally on Friday, Oct. 30, 2020 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Around 200 cars parked on the grounds and a few people gathered at the front as Biden commented on a change in the presidency and promised to address issues with public health due to the Coronavirus.
April 8, 2022
President Joe Biden will be coming through Iowa on Tuesday, stopping in Menlo, a town of less than 400 people 45 miles west of Des Moines, a White House spokesperson confirmed.
The Des Moines Register first reported Biden’s visit on Friday, initially saying the president was coming to Des Moines.
The visit will be Biden’s first stop in Iowa since the 2020 election, when he visited Des Moines to rally Democrats in the days ahead of the election.
Biden will be discussing his economic priorities in Menlo, the Register reported. The Register did not include details on where or when Biden will make his appearance, and a White House spokesperson said more details would be coming Saturday.
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Ross Wilburn wrote in a press release Friday he was thrilled to welcome Biden back to Iowa. Wilburn commended Biden on passing the infrastructure bill in 2021, which will bring an estimated $5 billion to Iowa in road and bridge improvements, broadband, water quality, and more.
“Thanks to President Biden’s leadership, we now have the tools to repair Iowa’s roads and bridges, connect our rural communities with high-speed internet access, clean up our drinking water, and provide tens of thousands of Iowans with access to affordable health care,” he wrote. “As Republicans like Kim Reynolds and Chuck Grassley repeatedly turn their backs on Iowans and take credit for programs passed by Democrats, I’m eager for Iowans to hear directly from our Commander-in-Chief how Democrats are lowering costs for working families, delivering for rural communities, and building a better Iowa.”
In a statement on Twitter, Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann wrote that Iowans are worse off because of Biden’s policies, pointing to inflation and rising gas prices. Gas prices began rising in late 2020 and have continued through Biden’s presidency, but the Russian invasion of Ukraine and ensuing war have pushed prices higher. Politifact Iowa found a similar claim from Sen. Joni Ernst blaming Biden for rising gas prices to be Half True.
“Maybe a trip back to Iowa will be just what Joe Biden needs to understand what his reckless spending, big government policies are doing to our country,” Kaufmann wrote.
Donald Trump won 53 percent of the vote in the 2020 election, winning all but six Iowa counties. The latest Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll indicated 60 percent of Iowans disapprove of Biden’s job as president.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to note that Biden is visiting Menlo.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
