Former President Donald Trump made a visit to Iowa today with two separate campaign events across the state. The first event was reserved for Trump team volunteers while the second event was open to the general public through the usual ticketing process.
Trump first attended a Team Trump Iowa Commit To Caucus Event at the Jackson County Fairgrounds in Maquoketa. After that, Trump headed to Dubuque to speak later in the afternoon at the Grand River Center for a campaign rally.
Trump Delivers Remarks in Dubuque, Iowa
When: Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023
Where: Grand River Center in Dubuque, IA
Full Video: Watch Below
Full Video – Trump speaks in Maquoketa, Iowa (Sept. 20)
Full Video – Trump speaks in Dubuque, Iowa (Sept. 20)
Trump’s increased presence in Iowa is part of a larger strategy to lean on DeSantis in the first in the nation caucus state. If DeSantis can be leveled in Iowa, the Trump strategy says, then he will be hobbled moving into larger contests like New Hampshire and South Carolina, according to Politico:
Donald Trump’s campaign believes Ron DeSantis is flatlining. Now, they want to bury him.
The former president and his team are beefing up their efforts in Iowa, hoping to deliver the type of knock-out punch that would effectively end the Florida governor’s bid and send a message to the other campaigns to get out of the way.
Building on his seven visits to Iowa so far this year, Trump is embarking on a “Team Trump Caucus Commitment” organizing event in Iowa with campaign volunteers at the Jackson County Fairgrounds in Maquoketa, and remarks at the Grand River Conference Center in Dubuque this Wednesday. Trump plans to make three more stops in Iowa during the first half of October, and again in the final days of the month, his team said. The Trump campaign is also bringing on Alex Meyer, who was recently part of the RNC’s political data team, as a senior adviser to focus on both Iowa and Missouri.
According to the latest poll numbers out of Iowa, Trump is still far and away the favorite beating DeSantis by a 35-point margin. Iowa has, from the beginning, been the contest where the DeSantis campaign felt most comfortable making a stand against the former president.
For a while, it seemed like Trump’s support was softening, and it has slipped some in Iowa but not to the point where DeSantis is gaining a real shot at overtaking him. To the contrary, DeSantis’ numbers have dropped slightly as well while others like Tim Scott and Nikki Haley have seen noticeable bumps in support.
Follow the complete Trump rally schedule for details on all upcoming events and tune in live at the stream above to see Trump campaigning in Iowa.
