Trump to sit with Hannity for town hall in Iowa after criticizing governor

Donald Trump will join Fox News anchor Sean Hannity for a town hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on July 18, amid tensions between the former president and some Republicans in the state.

The town hall, which will air on Fox News from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET, will be pre-taped earlier in the day at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse Arena, the network announced Tuesday. 

Hannity will “take questions from the audience while discussing the 2024 presidential race, immigration, the economy and the overall state of the country with the former president,” according to a press release.

The news comes as Trump risks a growing rift with Republicans in the Hawkeye State. The former president declined to take part in a forum being hosted by Tucker Carlson — himself a former Fox News personality — in Iowa this Friday, even though some of his top Republican rivals, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, will be participating.

The Friday forum, which is being run by the conservative group The Family Leader alongside Blaze Media, comes days after Trump drew headlines for attacking Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) over her approach to the 2024 race.

“I opened up the Governor position for Kim Reynolds, & when she fell behind, I ENDORSED her, did big Rallies, & she won,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Monday. “Now, she wants to remain ‘NEUTRAL.’ I don’t invite her to events! DeSanctus down 45 points!”

Reynolds had appeared alongside DeSantis’s wife, Casey DeSantis, at an event days earlier. There have also been reports that Trump’s team has been frustrated by her relationship with the DeSantis campaign.

DeSantis and other 2024 Republicans were quick to rally around Reynolds following Trump’s comments. And some Iowa Republicans, including veteran strategist David Kochel, openly expressed their frustration with the former president.

Still, most polls show Trump with a commanding lead over the GOP primary field, including one survey of Iowa voters taken in May that showed him with an overwhelming 42-point lead.

Meanwhile, Trump has joined several interviews with Fox News hosts, including Hannity and Bret Baier. Fox News announced Sunday that the former president will join anchor Maria Bartiromo for a pre-taped interview on her show “Sunday Morning Futures” on July 16 at 10 a.m.

His media engagements come as his relationship with Fox News has grown increasingly unpredictable and, often, contentious. Trump has railed on the network for focusing too much on DeSantis and has labeled Fox the “DeSanctimonious Network,” a nod to Trump’s nickname for the governor.

Trump also called Baier’s line of questioning “hostile” during Baier’s recent one-on-one interview with the former president.