Donald Trump urged the Republican Party to unite behind him so he can “take back the country” from Joe Biden after he decimated his rivals in Iowa on Monday night.
The 77-year-old former president praised all of his fellow candidates and paid tribute to his family – including Melania's late mother-in-law – as he spoke to supporters after his 30-point victory in the first primary.
It took just half an hour for Trump's landslide victory to be announced, as thousands of his diehard supporters turned out to vote in subzero temperatures and wind chills as low as minus 30 degrees.
But Trump quickly looked ahead, saying that “the big night will be in November when we take back our country in the general election.”
Instead of mocking the rest of the Republican camp, he applauded them for their campaign, calling them “very smart people, very capable people.”
“I want to congratulate Ron and Nikki on a great time together.” “I think they both did very well actually,” Trump told a crowd of a few hundred supporters, just hours after networks called the state for him. It was a sudden turnaround for someone he regularly insulted as “Ron DeSantimonious” before the convention began and his victory was assured.
Donald Trump has called for the US to “come together” and thanked his entire family after decimating the rest of the Republican caucus in the Iowa caucus
The former president, 77, said Ms Melania's late mother Amalija Knavs was “looking down” and was “proud” of the historic result
As of 10 p.m., Trump had more than 50 percent of the vote, with Haley and DeSantis in second place
He also had kind words for Vivek Ramaswamy after blasting him in the final days before the election – just before Ramaswamy dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump.
“I also want to congratulate Vivek because he did a great job.” “He came from zero… that's a great job,” Trump said.
Trump, who has a lopsided lead in national polls, called for unity in his speech, even though Iowa represents only 1.6 percent of all delegates at stake in the fight for the nomination.
He called for people to “come together, put the world to rights and solve the problems.”
Trump sought to capitalize on the momentum of his convincing victory, even as the race for the GOP presidential nomination immediately shifted to New Hampshire, where Haley has risen in the polls. DeSantis plans to hold events Tuesday in South Carolina, where the Feb. 24 primary is set, and New Hampshire after failing to use his turnout organization to move closer to Trump.
“Thanks to your support, despite everything they threw at us,” DeSantis said at his own rally, “we were stripped of the Iowa ticket.” Haley said the results made it a “two-person race” between her and Trump.
Trump made the remarks in a victory speech in which he paid tribute to his late mother-in-law Amalija Knavs and thanked “my incredible wife,” former first lady Melania Trump.
He joked about his mother-in-law. “Boy, did she take care of Barron?” “That's how he got so big.”
Trump was accompanied on stage at his victory party by sons Eric and Don Jr., but daughter Ivanka was nowhere to be seen.
Trump celebrated his storming victory in the primary in just 30 minutes by waiting on stage while Lee Greenwood's “God Bless the USA” played to the audience.
Vivek Ramaswamy addresses his supporters as he stands with his wife Apoorva Tewari and son Karthik as he dropped out of the presidential election campaign
Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley gestures while speaking to the crowd as she announces she is the solution to avoid “more of the same.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks on stage alongside Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds
Trump paid tribute to all of his children, including son Barron, who he said he “watched on TV.”
The historic landslide occurred despite arctic temperatures and the fact that the Hawkeye State was hit by snowstorms that were expected to decimate voter turnout.
It gives Trump a huge boost in his bid to win the Republican presidential nomination and return to the White House in what would be the most remarkable political comeback in US history.
The early call sparked outrage from the rest of the Republican camp, with DeSantis' campaign accusing the news networks of engaging in “election interference.”
Thousands of die-hard Iowans braved wind chills as low as minus 35 degrees and ignored frostbite warnings to go to their precincts to cast their votes.
Trump huddled at the site in downtown Des Moines for more than an hour after cable networks and the AP infuriated Ron DeSantis by calling the race for him while caucuses were still tallying support.
He was accompanied by his son Donald Trump Jr., who was a permanent deputy and who earlier Monday warned of a conspiracy to “suppress the vote.”
The speed of the call convinced Trump's party planners during the election campaign. His followers hadn't even arrived at the party when the networks made the call.
Only after he was declared the winner did his campaign turn on the public address system to play Elvis Presley's “Suspicious Minds.”
Supporters chanted 'Trump! Trump!' and “Build the wall!” as they waited for the former president to appear while a bar served drinks. Two large monitors showed a Fox News feed broadcasting the magnitude of his victory.
The former president, 77, gives a thumbs up with his son Don Jr. next to a television screen showing Fox News saying he will win the race
Former first lady Melania Trump's mother, Amalija Knavs, 78, died after being hospitalized in Miami, Florida, over the holidays. She is pictured at center with her daughter and Donald Trump in 2018, who paid tribute to her in his victory speech in Iowa
Donald Trump Jr. delivers a speech on behalf of his father at a caucus site in Des Moines
By the time he came out, his campaign had already said he had won in a “landslide,” and allies, including New York Rep. Elise Stefanik and the Make American Great Again PAC, called for rivals to drop out of the race.
Trump's deputy Kari Lake also gave them an impetus.
She urged DeSantis to take some time to return to Florida. He just won this election. The people of Florida are counting on Governor DeSantis to come back and lead this…state. It's a great state in this country. And I hope that he does some soul searching and realizes that this isn't just another political moment in history… It's not his time.”
“I hope Haley, Nikki Haley, will tell her major donors and the great military-industrial complex: No, I will not be your pawn.” “I will stand behind President Trump,” she urged Haley.
Trump's celebration came as DeSantis and Haley battled for second place, and a DeSantis aide called it “absolutely outrageous that the media participated in election interference by calling the race before tens of thousands of Iowans even had a chance to vote.” choose.”
“The media is looking for Trump and this is the most egregious example yet,” complained adviser Andrew Romero.
After the pleasantries, Trump expressed outrage over illegal immigrants and promised a tough crackdown on crime, foreshadowing the race he will run against Joe Biden if he wins.
Nikki Haley speaks with her children at a caucus night party in West Des Moines, Iowa
Ron DeSantis hugs his wife Casey DeSantis as he celebrates his projected second place finish
“They come from psychiatric hospitals and insane asylums,” he said. “And their terrorists.”
He called for “incredibly harsh punishments” for people who commit mass shootings.
“I will be very tough on criminals,” he said. He promised “deportations like we haven’t seen in this country for a long time.”
It was just after 11 p.m. when Trump turned to the criminal and civil trials he faces, which allies say helped him win.
“I go through a lot of courthouses because it’s called election interference,” he said.
“We can’t have that.”
“The big night will be in November, when we take back our country,” he promised, ending his 22-minute speech.
When asked to assess the significance of Trump's trials (head flies to New York tomorrow for one), Lake told , “I think Americans just understand what's going on,” and accused some in the media of “to have committed character assassination on a man who loves the country.”
It still remained unclear whether Trump would break the 50 percent hurdle and whether one of his rivals would gain enough momentum to gain momentum in New Hampshire or South Carolina.
Nikki Haley signs are placed in the snow before voters went to the polls in subfreezing temperatures
Workers clear a snow-covered sidewalk as they fear low turnout due to arctic weather in the Buckeye State
Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis' campaign signs stand on a mound of snow outside a caucus site at the Horizon Events Center on January 15, 2024 in Clive, Iowa
Sharon McNutt holds paper ballots listing candidates' names in alphabetical order
Trump's deputy, Kari Lake, raved about the victory and urged her rivals to drop out.
“Everyone and their brother knew President Trump was going to win.” The question is how committed the people of Iowa are to the future of this country. And tonight we found out that Iowans are just as great as we thought. “They showed up in droves,” she told at Trump’s victory party.
“I’m so proud of my home state,” the Iowa native said.
She brushed aside the 50 percent limit as a fixation. “Anything over 12 percent would be a huge victory,” she said of Trump’s margin of victory. “And I think he will exceed that 50 percent.” I hope so. But I'll tell you what, I'll take victory any day.
When asked to assess the significance of Trump's trials (she flies to New York for one tomorrow), she said, “I think Americans just understand what's going on,” and accused some in the media of “character assassination of a man who this country loves”.
She asked DeSantis and Haley to get out but touched them gently. She urged DeSantis to take some time to return to Florida. He just won this election. The people of Florida are counting on Governor DeSantis to come back and lead this…state. It's a great state in this country. And I hope that he does some soul searching and realizes that this isn't just another political moment in history… It's not his time.”
Then she slapped Haley and said, “I hope Haley, Nikki Haley, will tell her major donors and the major military-industrial complex, 'No, I will not be your pawn.' I will stand behind President Trump. We will save this country. “We will not waste hundreds of millions more on ads going to New Hampshire.”