We use essential cookies and third-party cookies for content.

The National Times - Trump's Iowa trip on economy overshadowed by immigration row

Trump's Iowa trip on economy overshadowed by immigration row

ECONOMY 27.01.2026
Trump's Iowa trip on economy overshadowed by immigration row
Trump's Iowa trip on economy overshadowed by immigration row / Photo: © AFP

US President Donald Trump headed to Iowa Tuesday eager to show voters he cares about affordability -- but his trip was overshadowed by anger over the deadly immigration crackdown in the neighboring state of Minnesota.

Change text size:

Trump's visit to the Republican-leaning state -- famed as one of the first stops for primary campaigns in US presidential elections -- is part of what the White House says will be weekly trips across the country.

"I'm going to Iowa and what can I say -- the economy's good, it's all good, prices are coming way down and we have a lot of positive news," Trump told reporters as he left the White House.

His spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Trump would be visiting a local business before giving a speech on "affordability and on the economy."

"And I know he very much looks forward to being there, to meeting with the great people of Iowa, but also lawmakers as well," Leavitt said Monday.

White House officials said the speech would also touch on energy, prices of which Trump says are falling.

But the 79-year-old president's attempts to talk up the economy risk being obscured by fallout over the killing of a second protester in Minneapolis this month.

Most of the questions Trump faced as he headed for his helicopter concerned the shooting of nurse Alex Pretti by a federal agent just over three hours drive away from the venue of his Iowa speech.

Accompanying Trump to Iowa was was deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, the architect of his immigration policy, who described Pretti without evidence as a "would-be assassin."

- 'Very sad' -

But Trump has sought to pivot amid the growing backlash, taking a more conciliatory tone, reaching out to the Democratic governor of Minnesota and mayor of Minneapolis, and sending his border czar to the city.

He called the shooting a "very sad situation" on Tuesday and refused to back Miller's "assassin" description -- while insisting that under-fire Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem would not step down.

The political row over immigration, one of Trump's core campaign issues, adds to the woes of a president already suffering in the polls on other subjects.

The economy is a particular trouble spot for the billionaire property developer.

Trump has promised Americans a new "golden age" fueled by tariffs on other countries, but until late last year he dismissed growing voter concerns over what he called the affordability "hoax."

He faced a fresh blow Tuesday as data showed US consumer confidence plunged in January to its lowest level since 2014.

In recent weeks, however, the White House has moved to tackle what was rapidly becoming a weak spot for Republicans ahead of November's crucial midterm elections.

Trump will start making weekly pre-midterm trips to sell his agenda around the country while cabinet members will also increase domestic travel, his chief of staff Susie Wiles said last week.

Yet many of Trump's campaign-style speeches have rapidly veered into diatribes about subjects like immigration, and he faces accusations from Democrats of being out of touch on the economy.

S.Mitchell--TNT

Featured

Carney touts Canada 'pivot' away from US as Trump levels new threat

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday that reducing economic ties with the United States would come at a cost but the benefits were clear, as President Donald Trump threatened new penalties targeting Canada.

Nearly 1,100 flights cancelled after UK air traffic control glitch

Almost 1,100 flights to and from UK airports were cancelled Tuesday due to what the country's air traffic control service called a technical issue, in the latest glitch to spark travel chaos.

Carney touts Canada 'pivot' away from US as tariffs rise

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday said reducing economic ties with the United States would come at a cost but the long-term benefits were clear, as retaliatory tariffs on US products took effect.

The "Everlasting Battery" Inside Your Joints:UConn Professor's Self-Powered Healing Material just Got Acquired

A material that turns your own movement into medicine has just landed a corporate home. PetVivo Holdings (OTCQX: PETV), a veterinary biotech and biomedical device company focused on treating osteoarthritis in dogs and horses, has acquired PiezoBioMembrane (PBM) — a startup built around a biodegradable implant that generates electricity from the everyday force of a joint in motion, and uses that charge to help regrow cartilage from the inside out. The material is the invention of Thanh Nguyen, a professor of mechanical engineering in UConn's College of Engineering, who founded PBM in 2021 to advance new implementation methods for his work with piezoelectric materials — substances that convert mechanical force into electrical energy. These materials are typically ceramics: hard, brittle, and poorly suited for medical use. But Nguyen's lab developed new forms that are so , flexible, and biodegradable, breaking down naturally within the body over time. wound healing, The materials have already shown strong potential across a range of medical applications, including tissue regeneration, implanted force sensors, and targeted drug delivery in tumor treatment. How It Works biodegradable ultrasound for In the case of arthritis, Nguyen explains, the piezoelectric materials function as an off-the-shelf product that can be implanted or injected directly into the ailing joint — with no drugs, chemicals, or cells required. The everyday force exerted on the joint generates a small electrical charge, which helps regrow healthy cartilage, mimicking the body's natural use of electricity to regenerate tissue. "The body can be electrically stimulated to regrow," Nguyen says. PBM's materials "act like a battery — an everlasting battery that works whenever there is a force applied, and vanishes safely inside the body over time." PetVivo's Vision for the Acquisition PetVivo Holdings CEO John Lai expressed enthusiasm for the merger's potential to improve the lives of companion animals globally. "PBM has developed a compelling functional biomaterials platform with the potential to support the development of multiple medical device and therapeutic product lines across both human and animal health markets," Lai said in a press release. "By combining PBM's scientific innovation with PetVivo's product development capabilities, commercialization experience, regulatory expertise, and public company infrastructure, we believe we can accelerate theadvancement of technologies that may serve as the foundation for numerous future products and strategic opportunities." For Nguyen, the deal is a chance to scale technology that could eventually benefit both animals and people. "PetVivo is an animal health company, but they do have a big passion: pushing the technology towards clinical trials for human use," Nguyen says. "That aligned perfectly with my passion for developing technology that has an impact on human life. That is why I am excited about this merger, which facilitates my passion." A Track Record of Innovation Nguyen's research sits at the intersection of medicine, micro/nanotechnology, and biomaterials. His inventions have earned him publications in prominent scientific journals and media coverage from outlets including NPR. Nguyen founded PBM during the COVID-19 pandemic, a er realizing the material he had developed could be used to create an especially effective, biodegradable face mask — one where the mechanical force of breathing generated an electrical charge that provided an extra layer of protection against viruses. PBM is not Nguyen's only venture in the acquisition pipeline. His other startup, Single-Time Microneedles (STM), is also currently undergoing an acquisition process. STM has pioneered stable, efficient vaccine delivery technology in the form of an adhesive patch. shelfNguyen's focus on biodegradable materials has translated into a remarkably diverse range of medical applications. He has received five R01 grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) supporting research in cartilage regeneration, bone regeneration, HIV antibody delivery systems, and biodegradable ultrasound technology to boost the effectiveness of chemotherapy for brain cancer. "Whatever we are working on, we want to show that it works very well in vitro and in vivo," Nguyen says. "Then, when we are at the point of commercialization, we set up a startup or license the technology — or maybe team up with an industry partner." Thanh Nguyen is a professor of mechanical engineering in UConn's College of Engineering. (Courtesy of Thanh Nguyen

Change text size: