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Donald Trump Has A New Way to Troll Ron DeSantis

The Iowa race will be competitive, and while Trump is the favorite, other candidates will have plenty of opportunities to woo voters.

Donald Trump. Image Credit: Gage Skidmore.
By Gage Skidmore: President of the United States Donald Trump speaking with attendees at the 2019 Teen Student Action Summit hosted by Turning Point USA at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C.

It seems like former President Donald Trump has been thwarting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at every turn. Trump will soon steal the governor’s thunder once again. DeSantis is expected to visit Iowa on May 13 in a fundraising trip close to the date he might announce his campaign for president. So Trump naturally scheduled a trip to Iowa on the same day, in a performance that will rob DeSantis of press coverage.

Score One for the Wily Trump

Trump will highlight a rally in Des Moines May 13, while DeSantis has plans to make his case to donors in northwest Iowa as a guest of Congressman Randy Feenstra. The governor then will follow on to eastern Iowa in Cedar Rapids for another meet-and-greet with deep-pocketed supporters that night.

Both men know that Iowa has deep relevance to presidential campaigns. The first caucus does not always determine the ultimate winner of the nomination, but it can boost or flatten a campaign if candidates perform above or below expectations. Trump is especially strong in Iowa. While he didn’t win the Iowa caucus in 2016, he came in a strong second to Senator Ted Cruz. He also won the state in the general election in 2016 and 2020.

DeSantis has work to do in Iowa if he runs. Iowans have a reputation for being finicky during the presidential election process. They kick the tires on unknown candidates and prefer to meet them in person at least once. Trump is a known quantity, but DeSantis is not. The governor has to excel in retail politics. That means chewing the fat with voters in bowling alleys, barber shops, and small restaurants all over the state. Trump, on the other hand, simply has to hold a rally and his supporters will wait in line for hours and even days to catch a glimpse of their hero.

DeSantis Trying to Plant Seeds in Iowa

DeSantis must also build a campaign apparatus in Iowa. That means wooing campaign workers who may have already pledged allegiance to Trump or to ex-ambassador to the UN and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley — and even a few campaign pros loyal to author and conservative personality Vivek Ramaswamy. You can argue that Haley has a better personal story and that Ramaswamy is more articulate than DeSantis, so they could peel off Iowans who are experienced campaign operatives. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott may enter the race, and he is aiming to grab evangelical voters in Iowa should he run.

Iowa has 99 counties, and candidates who are less well known are often told by the local political class that they need to visit each one. Such a large travel and get-out-the vote process is difficult in a state known for cold and nasty weather during the campaign period for the caucuses.

Big Fight on Debate Stage 

The Hawkeye state will also have debates. We know Trump is a heavy hitter and insulter-in-chief on stage under the bright lights. The aforementioned candidates have been reticent to attack Trump by name. That will end during the debates, and the first one is coming up soon in August in Milwaukee – a location that is close to Iowa. 

A Trump meltdown during the early debates could give hope to the other contenders in the field that they could deal the former president an upset in Iowa. Thus, Iowa is a must-win for Trump. DeSantis is polling well in Iowa too. In April, a survey from J.L. Partners found that Trump’s lead in Iowa is only eight points – 47 percent to 39 percent. This was after 34 felony counts against Trump for his actions regarding a hush money payment to an adult video star. Plus, 50 percent of those surveyed in the poll say they could change their mind.

The Iowa race will be competitive, and while Trump is the favorite, other candidates will have plenty of opportunities to woo voters in the Hawkeye State as they look ahead to primaries in New Hampshire and South Carolina in 2024. It will be an interesting campaign in Iowa, and all Republicans in the race will fight to deliver people to each county caucus in the state. This takes the utmost in organization and grassroots campaigning, not to mention fundraising prowess and debating skills. We will see which candidates perform well in the first voting of the presidential election cycle in 2024.  

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Author Expertise and Experience

Serving as 19FortyFive’s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations. 

Written By

Now serving as 1945s New Defense and National Security Editor, Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer.

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