Politics
Trump touts Arizona projects and attacks Hobbs at Bullhead City rally
At a nearly 100-minute Bullhead City rally, President Donald Trump promoted mining, chip manufacturing and his claims about falling rents while campaigning for Republican gubernatorial candidate Andy Biggs. He also repeated unsubstantiated accusations against Gov. Katie Hobbs and revived false claims about Kari Lake’s 2022 election loss.
President Donald Trump used a nearly 100-minute rally in Bullhead City on Wednesday to promote Arizona mining and semiconductor projects, claim credit for lower rents and urge voters to elect Republican Andy Biggs governor. With early voting underway and the Nov. 3 general election approaching, Trump also attacked Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and revisited Kari Lake’s 2022 defeat.
Trump said a 50% tariff on foreign copper had helped revive Arizona’s copper industry. He also claimed credit for federal support for Ivanhoe Electric’s proposed copper project near Casa Grande and for approving the Resolution Copper mine, which he said would create 3,700 jobs.
He took credit as well for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s expansion in north Phoenix, describing the investment as $265 billion. The rally speech did not provide further details about how the projects’ timelines or employment figures might affect communities across the state.
Trump tied his border policies to housing costs, claiming Arizona rents had fallen 14% since he took office in January 2025 and predicting another 20% to 25% decline. Apartment List data cited in a June 2026 multifamily report showed Arizona rents down about 3% over the previous year, with the decline beginning before Trump returned to office.
The president asked supporters to help Biggs defeat Hobbs, saying Arizona should deliver a landslide and urging voters to give Biggs some of their votes. He praised the congressman’s law-enforcement credentials, then accused Hobbs of doing the cartels’ bidding and suggested she had been paid by them. Trump offered no evidence for those allegations.
Hobbs has vetoed bills involving crime and immigration enforcement. Her campaign has also accused Biggs of undermining confidence in elections. In July, Biggs said courts had settled Lake’s challenge to her 2022 loss to Hobbs, adding that he believed Arizonans wanted to focus on issues including affordability, public safety, border security and education.
Trump nevertheless returned to Lake’s claims that she won the 2022 governor’s race. Election Day ballot-printer problems in Maricopa County became part of Lake’s unsuccessful legal challenges. Trump also appeared to allude to Lake’s 2024 U.S. Senate loss to Democrat Ruben Gallego and criticized the judge who heard her case.
Biggs voted against accepting Arizona’s certified 2020 presidential results, saying at the time that courts had allowed tens of thousands of votes to be cast unlawfully. During a Clean Elections debate, however, he said he would accept the outcome of this year’s gubernatorial race.
The rally placed economic claims alongside renewed attacks on election legitimacy as Arizona voters weigh the candidates’ positions on affordability and public safety. The general election is Nov. 3.