01/14/2024 10:45 pm (current 01/14/2024 10:45 pm)
Former President Trump is the clear favorite for the nomination ©APA/AFP
Climate activists disrupted former President Donald Trump's campaign rally in Indianola, Iowa, on Sunday. Protesters shouted “Trump, climate criminal” and a young woman held a banner with the same words. Trump supporters present in the hall responded with chants of “USA, USA” as security guards led the activists away.
The Republican presidential primaries begin in Iowa on Monday. According to polls, Trump is the clear favorite for the nomination to challenge incumbent Joe Biden in the November elections. His strongest rivals within the party are former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
As climate activists were taken to Indianola, Trump told one activist that she was “young and immature.” “They’re fighting oil,” Trump said. “They’re basically saying, let’s shut down our country.” Trump has long cast doubt on the scientific consensus on the role of humans in climate change. One of his first official acts as president was the US withdrawal from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. If he is re-elected, he wants to boost fossil fuel production.
Just before the primaries, Iowa was hit by a violent winter storm with heavy snow, strong winds and sub-zero temperatures. Republican presidential candidates had to cancel a series of appearances because of this. Temperatures that feel below minus 30 degrees are forecast for Monday.
“Dress up tomorrow,” Trump told his supporters in Indianola. “Defy the weather and go out to save America.”
Republicans vote in primary elections in the Midwestern farm state in the traditional caucus fashion, in which party members meet in schools, churches, sports halls or living rooms. President Biden's Democrats are voting in Iowa for the first time in a multi-week email process. In their case, Biden is practically confirmed as the presidential candidate; he has no serious competitors.