See US Attorney Todd Blanche explain why he’s at the Iowa State Fair
U.S. Attorney Todd Blanche traveled to the Iowa State Fair, grilling meat with Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird on Aug. 20, 2026.
- U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche visited the Iowa State Fair, stating his trip was not related to the upcoming midterm elections.
- Blanche is one of many Trump administration officials who have recently traveled to Iowa.
- Blanche also affirmed the Department of Justice will continue its efforts to obtain state voter registration data.
After flipping pork with Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird at the Iowa State Fair, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche insisted his visit to the Hawkeye State had nothing to do with the looming midterm elections.
“I thought this was the State Fair?” he told reporters Thursday, Aug. 20, amid the wafting aroma of grilled meat and bedecked in a red apron.
“Chairman (Chuck) Grassley mentioned to me several months ago that I should come out for this, and I committed to it,” Blanche told reporters. “My whole department is filled with great Americans, and it’s in no small part to Chairman Grassley. So you guys have a great senator, you have a great attorney general, and it’s great to be here.”
Blanche said he’s working closely with Bird, who is seeking reelection, on issues related to farming and agriculture.
“We can’t fix every challenge that Iowans have today,” he said. “There’s a lot of factors that go into the challenges. But what we can do is make sure we focus on the problem, and that’s what we’re doing in DC.”
But he also said the Department of Justice hasn’t given up on its pursuit of voter information, despite a string of losses in federal courts.
Summer destination
Blanche is just the latest in an influx of top Trump administration officials who have been dispatched to Iowa this summer.
The growing list of Cabinet officials to land in Iowa this month includes Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins will also be in the state on Friday, Aug. 21.
And a crop of Republican Party leaders have similarly made treks to Iowa, including Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters, House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
A deluge of national politicians at the Iowa State Fair typically indicates a burgeoning crop of presidential candidates ahead of a caucus year. But few of those arriving in Iowa of late are among those names being floated for a 2028 White House run.
Instead, some have speculated the intent is to boost Iowa Republicans in what is expected to be a competitive midterm. Hotly contested races for governor and U.S. Senate top the ticket, and matchups all the way down the ballot could be in play this November.
Independent election analysts at Cook Political Report on Aug. 20 moved the U.S. Senate race into its most competitive category, calling it a “toss-up” race, and it moved the governor’s race in favor of Democrats, saying it “leans” their way.
But Blanche denied his visit was political.
“I saw an influx of cabinet officials a few weeks ago in Wyoming,” he said. “I saw an influx of cabinet officials a few weeks ago in Miami as well. So, I like that there could be a narrative that we run around compensating for fear about what’s going to happen in an election, but it’s not true.”
He said he accepted an invitation from Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, to visit Iowa “when there was still snow on the ground in DC.”
“I promise you that to the extent that there’s a grand plan for Iowa, it’s that this administration cares about ranchers, cares about farmers, and I’m not surprised that there’s other folks here,” he said.
Instead, he praised Iowa pork as “spectacular” and heaped praise on Iowa political leaders such as Bird and Grassley, who he called “friends.”
“This is literally one of the top 10 most iconic things to do to celebrate America 250,” Blanche said. “So I’m doing one of the top 10 things, and I’m glad to be here.”
Blanche also dismissed any interest in running for president in 2028.
“I am not, no,” he told NBC News from the fair, adding, “I couldn’t be more sure.”
Blanche: ‘We’re not going to stop’ seeking state voter data
Iowa previously turned over its voter registration data to the federal government at the request of the Department of Justice.
The data included sensitive information such as partial Social Security numbers of the state’s more than 2 million registered voters, according to Secretary of State Paul Pate.
Some states have fought back the government’s request, and multiple judges have ruled against the department’s efforts to access state voter rolls.
Blanche has said there’s a possibility the DOJ could ask the Supreme Court to weigh in.
“The way that the system works, as everybody knows, is if you lose at the district court level, you can appeal or you can try to work out a deal with the right person for the state,” he told reporters Aug. 20. “We’re doing all those different things, and we’re not going to stop doing it. We’re not motivated by a loss or a win at the district court.”
Bird joined in support of Blanche’s remarks. She has made election security a focus of her office, even as she has declined to say whether her office erred in advising Secretary of State Paul Pate to turn over Iowa voter information to the federal government, despite numerous court rulings rebuffing the federal government’s pursuit of that information in other states.
“It’s a felony to vote illegally,” she said with Blanche nearby. “We would like to prevent that. And I do not want to have an illegal vote mixed in with legal votes because it cancels out some Iowans’ vote. And there’s no way to unscramble that egg, and there is no acceptable amount of fraud.”
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. She writes about campaigns, elections and the Iowa Caucuses. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @brianneDMR.