'No state has struggled more': Residents of 'Trump stronghold' blame him for epic downturn

There is one state that has struggled more than any other with Donald Trump's policies, and its residents are worried, even calling the situation "death by a thousand paper cuts," according to a new report.

The New York Times on Sunday published an article called "In Trump-Friendly Iowa, the President’s Policies Have Hit Hard," in which the outlet argues that the "state has become a stronghold for President Trump."

"Now, his efforts on trade, energy and immigration are squeezing farmers, disrupting labor and threatening industries," the report states.

According to the Times, a lot of the problems Iowans are having stem from the Argentinian bailout to import more foreign meat.

"When President Trump announced a $20 billion bailout for Argentina this month, Larry Ory, 86, a farmer in Earlham, Iowa, could hardly believe it, especially after boatloads of Argentine soybeans began shipping to China, a once-critical customer for Mr. Ory's family," according to the new report. "For Iowans, losing China’s soybean market in the president’s trade war was only one of many economic shocks that have hit the state since the start of Mr. Trump’s second term. The cost of tractors and fertilizers have shot up with his tariffs. Labor has grown scarcer in agribusinesses. Major manufacturers have laid off workers. Even the ubiquitous wind turbines that provide income for some Iowa farmers are in the president’s sights."

The report also quotes "Summer Ory, 37, the wife of Mr. Ory’s grandson, Dan," as saying, "Right now, we’re fighting different economic wars all at once... You can sustain it one at a time, but right now it’s death by a thousand paper cuts."

The report goes on to note, "Since siding with Barack Obama twice, Iowa has become a stronghold for Mr. Trump."

"Yet perhaps no state has struggled more with his economic policies," according to the Times. "During the first quarter of 2025, Iowa’s gross domestic product dropped by 6.1 percent, more than any other state aside from neighboring Nebraska."

Read the full report here.