Livestream: Trump Visits Iowa, Arizona On Tuesday

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA — President Donald Trump was scheduled to visit Iowa on Tuesday, just over a week after a derecho unexpectedly pummeled nearly a third of the state, leaving hurricane-force destruction in its wake.

Trump was also planning a same-day visit to Arizona as he barnstorms election battleground states the same week Democrats formally nominate former Vice President Joe Biden to challenge him in the Nov. 3 general election.

On Monday, Trump signed an emergency declaration for Iowa in response to a request for federal aid made by the state, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported. In addition to meeting with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and state and local officials, the president was expected to meet with Iowans affected by the storm.

Reynolds filed an expedited presidential major disaster declaration on Sunday seeking nearly $4 billion in federal aid. The request included $3.77 billion to cover damage to corn and soybeans in 36 Iowa counties hit by last week's hurricane-grade winds.

Wind gusts brought by last week's derecho in Iowa topped 100 mph, destroying or extensively damaging more than 8,000 homes, the Gazette reported. The unprecedented weather event also caused $100 million in damage to private utilities, leaving hundreds of thousands of Iowans without power as workers still struggle to return power to communities.

After his stop in Iowa, Trump headed to Arizona where he was slated to speak in Yuma about “Joe Biden’s failures on immigration and border security.” The president will speak at Joe Foss Hangar at the Yuma International Airport, according to the president’s re-election campaign.

Watch Trump's visit to Arizona using the above player or on PBS News Hour.

Trump also plans to visit Biden’s hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, the same day Biden is scheduled to make his acceptance speech.

Trump won Iowa and Arizona in 2016. While Trump maintains a marginal lead over Biden in Iowa, the two candidates are virtually tied in Arizona, according to the latest Real Clear Politics polling average that gives Biden a 2-point edge.

The two candidates differ sharply on immigration policy.

In an interview on the "Fox & Friends" news commentary program Monday, the 74-year-old Trump attacked the 77-year-old Biden over his age and energy. “Let’s face it, Joe’s shot,” he said.

“You’re dealing with people that are very sharp. You’re dealing with world-class chess players in the leaders of these countries. I know them all. We do very well with all of them, [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan of Turkey. You can’t have a guy that doesn’t know where he is. You can’t have a guy that’s afraid to leave his basement because he can’t speak any longer,” the president said.

A Trump ad that depicts Biden hiding in his basement contains an unauthorized manipulated photo taken by a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gazette photographer during the state’s caucuses. It showed Biden sitting on the floor. He had given up a chair to a supporter, the report said.

Biden on Monday went on the offensive against Trump on Twitter as the mostly virtual Democratic National Convention opened in Milwaukee, criticizing the incumbent for his response to the coronavirus pandemic, questioning a move by Trump’s defense secretary to cut $2.2 billion in military health care and saying the economy only worked for “the wealthy and well-connected” before the coronavirus crisis.

Patch Deputy National Editor Beth Dalbey contributed to this report.