Politics
Trump: ‘No way Iowa is voting against Trump’
By CM Chaney · October 31, 2023
In brief…
- Trump predicts he'll win 2024 Iowa GOP caucuses, despite some advisers urging caution
- Mocked Nikki Haley's shift from not running if he did to directly challenging him now
- Ben Carson endorsed Trump in Iowa; notable as officials resigned post-Capitol riot
- Made dramatic state fair entrance by plane in August, urged DeSantis to quit race
- Vowed to keep gas engines but ban "child sexual mutilation" at recent rally
Former President Donald Trump has predicted he’ll win Iowa’s 2024 Republican presidential caucuses despite some advisers urging caution on expectations.
Trump made the confident declaration Sunday in Sioux City, incorrectly calling it “Sioux Falls” - a city actually located in South Dakota.
Trump told the crowd his team cautioned against assuming victory in Iowa.
“There’s no way Iowa is voting against Trump,” he responded, citing benefits to farm states from his administration’s China tariffs.
It was Trump’s eighth Iowa event in over a month as he ramps up activity before the critical first-in-the-nation caucuses. His recent stops aimed to cover eastern, central and western Iowa after an underorganized 2016 effort.
Trump escalated attacks on Nikki Haley, his former UN ambassador, mocking her shift from vowing not to run if he did to now challenging him. Using the derogatory “bird brain,” Trump suggested he appointed Haley partly to help a loyalist become South Carolina governor.
The sharper Haley criticism followed her Saturday speech warning Trump’s “chaos” would be “dangerous.” Haley has long implied criticism of Trump while campaigning in early states, but delivered her harshest rebuke yet.
Trump was endorsed in Sioux City by former cabinet member Ben Carson, noteworthy as some officials resigned over the Capitol riot. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos cited Trump’s 1/6 actions.
The Iowa trip follows Trump’s dramatic August state fair entrance by plane, where he urged rival Ron DeSantis to end his campaign. Trump leads polls by double-digits, saying DeSantis is “doing very poorly” and should quit soon.
At an October rally, Trump vowed to keep gas engines legal but ban “child sexual mutilation” if re-elected, referencing Iowa’s ban on gender affirming youth care. He again campaigned in a Democratic-leaning area.