Two Iowa voters who supported President Donald Trump expressed doubts about his second term following a weekend shooting in Minnesota involving federal immigration agents. The president visited the state for a rally that attracted supporters inside while large protests took place outside.
NBC News correspondent Vaughan Hillyard, reporting from Des Moines, told MSNBC’s Morning Joe that the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse with Veterans Affairs, cast a heavy shadow over Trump’s visit. Hillyard noted that the president played “YMCA” inside the venue while hundreds protested outside with signs referencing Pretti’s death and immigration operations.
Trump spoke Tuesday at the Horizon Events Center in Clive, a suburb of Des Moines. About 700 people attended in the main space, while more watched from an overflow room, according to The Gazette. Thousands gathered outside in very cold weather to demonstrate against the president’s appearance.
The Gazette reported that Trump’s speech faced brief interruptions from protesters inside the venue. Police removed at least one person during his remarks.
Hillyard mentioned that two protesters were removed from the rally hall. He also described an incident outside where a protester dropped a phone, and a Trump supporter picked it up and smashed it on the ground, according to his account on Morning Joe.
Outside the venue, Hillyard interviewed two Iowans, Marsha and Michael, who said they voted for Trump but now feel uneasy about the administration’s immigration enforcement tactics after the Minnesota shootings.
Scene outside Horizon Event Center in Clive, Iowa, where President Donald Trump will deliver a speech on energy and the economy. A couple hundred already gathered in freezing weather to protest his administration’s immigration policies and enforcement. pic.twitter.com/9Spy4mli4K
— Tom Barton (@tjbarton83) January 27, 2026
When asked if the immigrant roundups matched her expectations, Marsha replied, “Not like they’re doing. Not like this. Not like this. This is horrible. Just horrible. I’m sick to my stomach.”
Michael, when asked if what he saw made him uncomfortable, said, “Yeah. Yeah,” adding that “anytime someone gets shot in the street, you should be uncomfortable and ask how we got to that point and what we can do to not get to that point again.” He noted that shootings have occurred twice and argued “something clearly isn’t working.”
“The rules are there. They need to be enforced, but we can’t be shooting people in the street either,” Michael said.
The Clive rally was Trump’s first major public event since the latest killing in Minneapolis. The Gazette reported that Trump did not directly address the shooting in his remarks and only briefly referenced unrest in Minnesota.
The White House stated that Trump traveled to Iowa to promote his economic agenda and to garner support for Republican candidates ahead of the 2026 midterms. In Clive, Trump encouraged supporters to “win the midterms,” while signs near the stage highlighted “lower prices” and “bigger paychecks,” according to The Gazette.
Iowa will host high-profile races in 2026, including an open U.S. Senate seat and a governor’s race, along with competitive House contests, as noted by The Gazette.
Hillyard’s interviews indicated that the political consequences of the Minnesota shootings might reach beyond the protest crowds and affect Trump’s own base. This is especially true for voters who supported strict immigration enforcement but now feel unsettled by the tactics and violence associated with federal operations.
