Former President Donald Trump will be speaking live on Saturday from Des Moines, Iowa, during a rally at the state fairgrounds expected to draw tens of thousands of supporters. The location has drawn some speculation given Iowa’s importance on the presidential calendar. Will Donald Trump announce he’s running for president in 2024? The likelihood seems low considering recent reports that despite a desire to launch a campaign, some around the former president have convinced him to at least hold off announcing another presidential run for now.
The start time and speaker list is available below. Live entertainment begins in the early afternoon and Trump is expected to take the stage around 8 pm ET (7 pm CT).
Date: Saturday, October 9, 2021
Time: 8 pm ET (7 pm CT)
Location: Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa
Full Video (Rumble):
Guests/Speakers:
- Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig
- U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Iowa-2)
- U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (Iowa-1)
- Former acting U.S. Attorney General Matt Whitaker
- Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann
- U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley
- Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds
Why is this rally different than Trump’s other rallies? For one, Trump’s popularity has been rising in Iowa, the venue is a natural fit. It may also be the fact that Trump enjoys teasing his audience about his future plans and Iowa is typically a state where presidential campaigns are launched:
Coming to the early presidential nominating state this far ahead of the contest is about meeting voters and laying the groundwork for a potential campaign.
But what’s happening Saturday night is unprecedented: Former President Donald Trump, who just lost reelection and is now teasing another run, is holding a large rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines.
The latest Iowa Poll, published this week in the Des Moines Register, says Trump is more popular in the state after leaving office. Pollster J. Ann Selzer says Trump remains very popular with Republicans, and has made recent gains with independents.
Whether Trump runs in 2024 or not, he clearly wants to maintain influence over the GOP and over the primary process. Any candidate running for the 2024 Republican nomination would be foolish to diverge from Trump on key issues or risk a backlash among nearly half of the GOP primary voters who say they want Trump to run in 2024 and would back him in a primary.
Some analysts believe the more Trump demurs from the spotlight, however, the better position he’ll be in when 2024 rolls around:
Conventional wisdom suggests Trump—a natural self-promoter with a gift for grabbing attention—should cling to the spotlight for as long as possible in the lead-up to 2024.
But receding into the background for a time is the less obvious route to victory for a politician who thrives on the fervour of publicity, be it good or bad.
“In 2020, Trump delighted in mocking Joe Biden for ducking the bright lights and campaigning from his Delaware basement,” Thomas Gift, founding director of University College London’s Centre on U.S. Politics, told Newsweek.
“This time, however, it might be Trump who finds that keeping a low-profile is the best strategy—at least between now and the Republican primaries.”
Trump is not naturally inclined to stay behind the curtain or play a supporting role, but he may take that path if the results start to bear out. The less involved he is in the day-to-day news cycle, the less the story becomes a referendum on his personality.
