Donald Trump fever is alive and well – Democrats are quick to dismiss supporters of former president Donald Trump as “noisy” rather than “many.” But if the showings in his rallies in his recent push to win over Iowa voters are any indication, liberals have a LOT to worry about.
A recent rally in Dubuque, Iowa was packed to the stands, with Trump entering to cheers of “USA, USA, USA!” and thousands of supporters wearing everything from “I Love Trump” and “Let’s Go Brandon” (a reference to the meme and euphemism for saying “**** Joe Biden”) shirts to the classic “MAGA” hats.
“Our country was at its highest point when he was president. We need to get back to what it used to be,” 19-year-old Laci Doyle told the Guardian at the Trump rally in Dubuque. She will be voting for the first time next year. “I think our country was a lot happier and less divided when he was president,” she added.
“Teflon Don”
An article by the Washington Post puts the number of Trump’s false claims to a walloping 30,573 over the course of four years, but Trump fans are completely unfazed, even when considering the 91 criminal charges he is facing as part of the four indictments filed against him.
Another attendee at the Trump Dubuque rally, bank worker Susan Tayloe, says that all the issues piled against the former commander-in-chief raises his value.
“He obviously has a great respect for the rule of law,” Tayloe told the Guardian. “He got persecuted and I like him even better now because of that,” she also said.
The resilience of Trump’s reputation among his supporters despite the many scandals and cases against him has led some to dub him “Teflon Don,” a fact not lost on the man himself.
“I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK?”, said Trump in a 2016 rally also held in Iowa. “It’s, like, incredible.”
Among Republicans, the former president continues to enjoy a sizable lead against his rivals, whom while supposedly gaining more momentum, still have much to work on to catch up.
According to poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight, Trump has a current average of 55.% support among Republicans, as opposed to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is a far second place at 13.3%.
And despite gaining some traction following his Trump-esque approach to the first Republican primary debate, billionaire businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is still stuck in third with a paltry 5.9% support among GOP voters. Former South Carolina Governor and former U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley follows with 5.3% support.
Consolidating his lead
Trump’s big push in Iowa is ostensibly an attempt by the former chief executive to further push down DeSantis, whom he sees as his primary rival for the GOP presidential nomination. He has brought in
But if there’s anything DeSantis is ahead on compared to Trump, it’s the campaign push in the region. DeSantis has already put down campaign roots in Iowa several weeks before, as the state is considered a critical and strategic battleground for Republican candidates as it has the potential to set the pace of the primary when the season starts in the Hawkeye State in mid-January 2024.
The Florida governor has managed to secure several endorsements from key GOP officials in the state, and has campaigned alongside Kim Reynolds, who while a Republican, is at odds with Trump, most recently regarding the latter’s softened stance on abortion.
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