DES MOINES, Iowa — Former President Donald Trump has fired a warning shot at his 2024 Republican primary opponents and President Joe Biden, dominating the opening nominating contest in Iowa amid sub-zero temperatures.
Just 31 minutes after the caucuses began, the Associated Press called Trump the winner of the first-in-the-nation nominating contest. Second place is up for grabs.
“It really is an honor that, minutes after, they’ve announced I’ve won — against very credible competition — great competition, actually,” Trump told Fox News. “I feel really invigorated and strong for our country… We want to Make America Great Again — the greatest slogan ever — and the fact is, that’s what we did.”
Reaping the rewards of pseudo-incumbency as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley grinned and gripped hands across Iowa, Trump avoided traditional retail politicking for which Iowa is known. But his more traditional ground game, compared to his 2016 effort, supplemented with the occasional rallies, high-profile supporters, and court appearance, helped him turn an early win before a likely general election against Biden.
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“The people of Iowa sent a clear message tonight: Donald Trump will be the next Republican nominee for president,” Alex Pfeiffer, communications director for the pro-Trump PAC Make America Great Again Inc. “It’s now time to make him the next President of the United States.”
As part of Iowa’s expectations game, which candidates play to create momentum before New Hampshire, Trump downplayed the possibility of winning Iowa by more than 50% of the vote as a once-in-a-decade cold snap transformed the state into a political snowglobe. Instead, he preferred comparisons to former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-KS), who has held the previous record of almost 13 percentage points since 1988. Meanwhile, his opponents, especially DeSantis, must now contemplate their path forward to the nomination.
In the closing weeks before the caucuses, Kristie Jacobe, who, along with her husband, drove more than three hours to hear Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speak at a Trump event in Keokuk, had predicted that Trump would “dominate.”
“People liked hearing what I call truth, you know, raw emotion, raw feelings,” the 45-year-old St. Charles small business owner said. “They liked that versus hearing what you want to hear, you being told what they want you to hear.”
After Trump’s rally last weekend in Newton, Tobe Kelsey, 47, similarly predicted a “big turnout” for Trump, contending “people want a change.”
“We’re obviously not headed in the right direction, and people have seen both sides: ‘Who is it that’s doing more for us?’” the Newton home carer said. “We can believe Trump is going to do something because he already has. He’s proven himself to us in a good way.”
In a prior interview, Eric Trump underscored that same dissatisfaction, adding his family’s grievances regarding the “weaponization of government.” But Arizona Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake presented a more positive case for the older Trump, citing his record in Iowa, particularly concerning his energy, economic, and foreign policies.
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“The people of Iowa do know President Trump,” Lake said. “They know that he did incredible things for the state. Unlike Joe Biden, President Trump protected the first-in-the-nation caucuses. … That’s huge for this state. I grew up in this state. The caucuses are a huge deal.”
The race for the White House now heads to New Hampshire, which holds its primary election on Jan. 23. Haley has been polling around 14 points behind Trump in the Granite State, where she has the endorsement of Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH).