Trump to visit West Des Moines, protests expected

Max Goldberg/Iowa State Daily

Then-President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a rally as part of his USA Thank You Tour, in Des Moines during the evening of Dec. 8. Trump spoke about the general election, how he would repeal Obamacare, bring jobs back to the US, and reform care for veterans. 

Jake Webster

After spending the afternoon in Council Bluffs, at 5 p.m. President Donald Trump will be in West Des Moines for the Republican Party of Iowa’s “America First” dinner, where protestors will greet him, to “call out his climate denial.”

The Republican president’s most recent visit to Iowa was also a stop in Council Bluffs, when he campaigned for Gov. Kim Reynolds’ and then-Rep David Young’s re-election bids. Reynolds won re-election by a 2.8% margin, while Young lost by 2.1%.

Bold Iowa is an organization dedicated to fighting climate change. The group said in a press release “President Trump’s climate denial is irrational, unacceptable, and greatly exacerbates the climate crisis threatening our very survival as a species.”

Bold Iowa are the organizers of the protest, and they say they expect 100 people to gather near the Ron Pearson Center in West Des Moines to “impress upon the attendees [of the dinner] the urgency of the climate crisis, and encourage them and the president to accept the reality of climate change and take action.”

Trump will visit the Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy facility in Council Bluffs — a visit which Rep. Cindy Axne, D-West Des Moines, had initially planned to join. However, Axne is now saying her invitation to the president’s tour has been rescinded, while the White House is denying ever inviting her, according to the Des Moines Register.

Trump has a net approval rating of -12% in Iowa among registered voters according to a recent Morning Consult poll. In other words, 12% more Iowans disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president than approve.