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| Republican presidential candidate and Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann speaks to supporters following her victory in the Iowa straw poll at Iowa State University on Saturday in Ames, Iowa. Bachmann defeated second place finisher Texas Congressman Ron Paul by 152 and third place finisher former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty by more than 2,000 votes |
But the three-day trip through Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois - three states seen as vital to his 2012 re-election campaign - could put him in front of voters who, polls show, are furious about political gridlock in the US capital.
Iowa, which launched Obama’s historic journey to the White House in 2008, has recently been playing host to Republican presidential hopefuls who have aggressively slammed his record as they criss-cross the state.
The White House says the president is on listening tour to hear from Americans about the economy and to talk about how to boost jobs and hiring. There are no plans for a major policy speech to roll out new initiatives for growth.
The unmistakable campaign style of the trip will help Obama, a Democrat, test his organisation and grassroots support as the Republican presidential field begins to take shape.
Texas Governor Rick Perry entered the race for the Republican nomination on Saturday and is expected to join Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann as one of the stronger Republican candidates. Bachmann won an Iowa straw poll on Saturday in the first big test for the Republican candidates.
White House communications Director Dan Pfeiffer said Iowa had a special connection for Obama and told reporters that the US leader was excited to be able to finally escape from Washington.
His departure follows a brutal period of bad news that dented confidence in his leadership, particularly after a bitter debate over raising the US debt limit that exposed deep partisanship bordering on government dysfunction.
A leading ratings agency has downgraded the nation’s AAA credit rating and fears of another US recession have grown, adding to investor concerns about Europe’s ongoing debt crisis. Stock markets whipsawed over the past week, producing one of the most volatile periods of Obama’s presidency.
Polls show many Americans think the country is on the wrong track and are deeply anxious about their future, amid sluggish economic growth and an unemployment rate that remains above 9%.