AGI – Donald Trump card have one Landslide victory in the first election campaign ahead of the 2024 presidential election and easily wins the Iowa caucuses.
“Three years ago we were a great nation and now we are a nation in decline,” he said, leading his supporters through a litany of promises about what he will do if elected to a second term, including full immunity for Police officers and more frequent deportations of immigrants in the history of the United States.
The heated battle for second place lasted significantly longer with the surprise victory Ron DeSantis on Nikki Haley. With almost all the votes counted, Trump had 51%, DeSantis had 21.2% and Haley had 19.1%. The former president broke the previous record victory in a Republican presidential race in Iowa, which was 12 percentage points.
Florida Gov. DeSantis campaigned in traditional Iowa style, visiting all 99 counties in hopes that local voters would reward him as other candidates have in the past.
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Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, was considered the most moderate choice in the Republican field and with better chance of beating Joe Biden in the elections compared to the more right-wing candidates. Analysts say the race for the Republican nomination would have still been open had Trump's vote remained below 50% and the former South Carolina governor had prevailed against DeSantis.
Now, very far in advance, it seems the game is already over. The momentum DeSantis could get from the Iowa result It may not be enough to make him a dangerous opponent for Trump: After all the time and money his campaign invested in Iowa, his performance should still be viewed as a disappointment.
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Ron DeSantis
Three other candidates trailed DeSantis and Haley by single-digit percentages. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who led the group of outsiders, decided to drop out of the race and support Trump. For Asa Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas, and Pastor Ryan Binkley Ridiculous margins remain.
According to Jeff Kaufmann, chairman of the Iowa Republican Party, initial estimates showed 100,000 Republicans voting in the caucuses on Monday, well below the turnout in 2016.
On Monday, voters gathered in schools, libraries, community centers and even a grain elevator to debate the best candidate, but freezing temperatures, biting winds and snowdrifts discouraged many. The Iowa caucuses have kicked off the 2024 election cycle, but few doubt the primary will ultimately be successful a repeat of the confrontation four years ago between Trump and Biden.
Trump, who never relinquished the lead in the Republican race, thanks largely to the energetic support of his supporters who showed up at rallies and worked on the ground, ignoring the former president's ongoing legal problems and increasingly harsh rhetoric on the campaign trail, promised a second term that focused on revenge against his political enemies.
They are already becoming apparent today threats of political violence in connection with elections, while civil servants and judges face increasing harassment. Attention now turns to New Hampshire, the next date on the Republican primary calendar.
Biden to his voters: “Trump is the candidate to beat”
The Biden campaign sent a message to millions of Democratic voters asking for donations immediately after the early results in Iowa: “Donald Trump is the official Republican candidate for 2024 and we must do everything we can to defeat him.”
© BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, SERGIO FLORES / AFP
Donald Trump and Joe Biden
“We cannot take the risk,” he added, “that Trump or any other MAGA extremist will be back at the top of our democracy.”
Trump thanks his late mother-in-law
Donald Trump gave his acceptance speech for his victory in Iowa He also mentioned Amalija Knavs, his recently deceased mother, his wife Melania. “From up there,” he said, pointing to the sky, “Amalija will be proud of us. I want to say that you were one of the most extraordinary people I have ever met.”
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