Promised $15bn Iowa steel mill shows no construction a month after Trump's announcement, days before midterms

Summary

In late September, President Donald Trump gathered Iowa Republicans in the Oval Office to announce that the firm Mesabi Metallics would invest $15bn to make Iowa the site of the largest steel mill in the country. A month later, and days before the midterm election, word has spread in the small town of Wever, population 142, that the mill will be built somewhere nearby, but there are no shovels in the dirt, no workers on a job site and no machinery on the dirt roads leading toward the Mississippi River. Residents would welcome the development, but the president's past false promises cast doubt on the proposal, according to The Guardian.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   2 Nov 2026, 17:00 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that Trump promised a $15bn steel mill for rural Iowa, but a month later the town of Wever has seen no construction, and residents' hopes are tempered by the president's past false promises.