Iowa newspaper to Trump: ‘Now is not the time for a rally’

An Iowa newspaper ran a front-page editorial Wednesday telling President Trump that “now is not the time for a rally” ahead of his campaign event scheduled in the state later in the day.

The editorial board of The Gazette in Cedar Rapids asked in an open letter to Trump for him to not hold his scheduled rally in the city but instead talk about his policies and how he will help Iowans.

As Trump visits, Cedar Rapids Gazette Pg. 1 editorial: “The campaign is over. You won. Now is not the time to rally.” pic.twitter.com/jIJqNA4aGD

— Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) June 21, 2017

“Mr. President, the campaign is over. You won. Now is not the time to rally. Now is the time to sell your policies, listen to Americans with a stake in those efforts and govern,” the letter read. “Iowans have questions and concerns about your plans. They can’t be heard over the cheers of a rally.”

{mosads}The letter listed a litany of topics that it said Iowans are concerned about, like cuts to crop insurance in Trump’s budget, paying for flood protection in Cedar Rapids, climate change, healthcare and funding for public schools. The newspaper encouraged Trump to talk to local leaders in lieu of the rally.

“That’s a lot of ground to cover while you’re on the ground in Iowa. But we think it’s critical you understand the real world implications of these and many other policies your administration is proposing,” the letter reads. “We concede it’s not as much fun as hearing the cheers and chants of folks convinced you’re making America great again. But it’s what presidents do.”