Former President Trump Urges Supporters Not to Be Complacent in Iowa
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa — Former President Donald Trump urged his supporters not to be complacent in the face of a commanding polling lead as he kicked off the sprint to the Iowa caucuses with his first events of the election year. The visit came the day before the third anniversary of Jan. 6, 2021, when a violent mob of Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol as part of a desperate bid to keep him in power after his 2020 election loss.
Trump held a pair of commit-to-caucus events, one in the far northwest corner of the state on the border with South Dakota and one in north-central Mason City. He’ll spend Saturday in Newton in central Iowa before heading to Clinton in the state’s far east. The former president and his campaign have spent months accusing Biden and other Democrats of using the justice system to damage their chief political rival. There is no evidence that Biden has influenced the investigations led by state officials or the Justice Department — which has also indicted his son, Hunter Biden, twice.
Trump also spent much of the night lashing out at President Joe Biden, who earlier Friday delivered a speech warning that Trump’s efforts to retake the White House pose a grave threat to the country and democracy. Trump’s team is hoping for a knockout win in Iowa on Jan. 15 that will deny his rivals an opportunity to seize momentum and set the table for him to lock up the nomination by the spring.
While he remains far ahead in Iowa and other early state and national polls, Trump also continued to lash out at his top Republican rivals, unleashing some of his most pointed attacks to date against former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who has seen growing support in recent months following a series of well-reviewed debate performances. Trump tried to cast both her and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was once the only rival he criticized, as “establishment pawns,” alleging they would “sell” voters “out.” DeSantis, who has staked his campaign on Iowa, entered the race with sky-high expectations but has struggled to gain traction against Trump.
Trump’s team has repeatedly argued that any margin of victory larger than 12 percentage points would be a historic win in an open caucus. Trump lost the state in 2016 to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz but ultimately won the nomination and the presidency. Michael Grevengoed, 34, from Doon, Iowa, is planning to caucus for Trump on Jan. 15 and said he isn’t concerned about Trump’s legal woes.
In addition to his criminal charges, Trump is also facing efforts to remove him from the ballot over his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss. The Supreme Court said Friday it would take up the question of whether states can bar him from the ballot. Marj Wichers, who lives in Sioux Center and said her backseat was full of Trump gear she bought for her grandchildren outside the venue, criticized efforts to disqualify him.
“He’s got to get back in there,” said Wichers, after standing in line for four hours to attend the first event. “If they don’t want to put him on the ballot, I’ll write his name down.” Wichers, 58, said she works the night shift so she might not be able to caucus on Jan. 15.
“I think he’s going to get in anyway, so I’m not too worried about it,” she said. The former president and his campaign have spent months accusing Biden and other Democrats of using the justice system to damage their chief political rival. There is no evidence that Biden has influenced the investigations led by state officials or the Justice Department — which has also indicted his son, Hunter Biden, twice.
Associated Press writers Thomas Beaumont and Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.