Trump celebrates tax bill victory at Iowa fairground rally

US President Donald Trump took a victory lap in friendly territory on Thursday, celebrating passage of his huge tax-cut and border security bill among supporters at the Iowa State Fairground.

Trump flew to the state, which voted for him by large margins during the past three presidential elections, directly after the US House of Representatives passed his “big, beautiful bill” and sent it to his desk to be enacted into law.

“Every major promise I made to the people of Iowa in 2024 became a promise kept,” Trump told the crowd of thousands at the fairgrounds in Des Moines.

By visiting the state Trump was reinforcing his image as a president who delivers on his promises, especially to his rural and conservative base.

Trump said he will sign the bill at a White House ceremony on Friday, the Independence Day holiday in the US and the deadline he had set for Congress to approve the mammoth piece of legislation.

The measure will give Trump billions of dollars to press forward with his domestic agenda, ramping up migrant deportations and cutting taxes while rolling back health benefits and food assistance.

“This bill includes the largest tax cut in American history, the largest spending cut in American history, the largest border security investment in American history,” Trump said.

The package will add $3.4-trillion (R59.6-trillion) to the nation's $36.2-trillion (R634.62-trillion) debt, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

The passage of the bill marked weeks of arm twisting by Trump and his allies in Congress to convince sceptical Republicans to push through the bill on a rapid timetable.

It was part of a string of victories for Trump in recent days, including convincing Iran and Israel to agree to a ceasefire after the US struck Iran’s nuclear sites last month.

Trump lambasted Democrats in Congress for voting against the measure, which passed on party-line votes in both chambers. He attributed that to Democrats hating him.

“But I hate them too,” he said.

Trump said the vote will make for campaign fodder during next year’s midterm elections, when control of Congress will be at stake. Some Republicans worry that deep cuts to the Medicaid health programme will hurt the party's prospects in the 2026 midterm elections.

The president said the bill will bolster his aggressive immigration enforcement and deportation efforts but again pledged to work with farms and hotels concerned about a thinning labour force.

Trump's trade policies have whipsawed agricultural communities in Iowa, creating economic uncertainty and testing loyalties. Iowa farmers have been hit hard, especially with China's retaliatory tariffs slashing soybean exports and prices.

Reuters spoke to five attendees at the rally who said they braved the sweltering heat to show support for Trump. Most praised his handling of immigration and grocery prices.

Despite widespread media coverage, only one of the five was aware of the existence of the tax-cut bill and praised it for giving Trump more resources for immigration enforcement.

Reuters