Des Moines, Iowa – Under pressure to live up to expectations and score a landslide victory at the Republican presidential caucuses in Iowa on January 15, former President Donald Trump is urging his supporters to vote.
“We don't want to take anything for granted,” Trump told an audience during a campaign stop in Mason City, Iowa, on Friday.
President Trump encouraged his supporters to send a “fierce” message on the night of the caucuses, which kick off the Republican presidential nomination calendar.
The former president is running for the White House for the third consecutive year and is a strong front-runner for the Republican nomination.
High expectations: Pressure on Trump, DeSantis, Haley to perform in Iowa caucuses
Former President Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Terrace View Event Center in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Friday, January 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Trump made history last year as the first former or current president to be indicted for a crime, but the four indictments, including charges that he tried to overturn his 2020 presidential election defeat, are among Republican voters. It only increased Trump's support.
Iowa maintains a significant lead over Florida in latest polls Governor Ron DeSantis Former United Nations Ambassador and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley are both vying for a distant second place.
“We have a 30-40 point lead,” President Trump trumpeted to supporters at multiple stops in the Hawkeye State over the weekend.
But he added, “The reason the poll numbers are scary is because we have a huge lead.”
DeSantis to appear on FOX News Tuesday night at Iowa Town Hall
The big concern is complacency.
“We're not taking any risks,” Trump said at a campaign rally in Sioux City. “The biggest risk is, you know, he's winning by a huge margin, darling. Let's stay home and watch TV. Let's watch this great victory. And enough It's not pretty if people do that. But we're not going to let that happen. ”
Republican presidential candidate and former President Trump speaks at a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, on December 19, 2023. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“President Trump's poll numbers are unprecedented for a Republican running in the Iowa caucuses, so this is great news,” Iowa Attorney General Brenna Byrd told Fox News late last month. “The important thing to remember is that only one thing matters.” It happens at caucus meetings. ”
“What we're all focused on is… [the caucus]. His grassroots organization focuses on that. I myself am the captain of the Guthrie County caucus. I plan to attend the caucus on caucus night to gather votes for President Trump. We have to stay focused and get our people involved. The support is strong and there, but we have to show up. ”
Trump's campaign in Iowa shifted into gear a few weeks ago, with the former president increasing the pace of his visits in the state. High-profile surrogates are also parachuting into Iowa to campaign on behalf of the former president. Additionally, the campaign trained approximately 2,000 caucus captains in precincts across the state.
Haley hits back at Trump, DeSantis and Biden at Fox News Iowa town hall
“Their only job is to run the individual caucuses that are held and make sure that the list of targeted voters who support President Trump is shown,” said Chris, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign. Lasivita recently told Fox News.
At campaign events, Mr. Trump's team played videos explaining the caucus process to first-time attendees, hosted panel discussions with campaign leaders, and posted posters signed by Mr. Trump. They are also distributing limited edition hats to campaign volunteers.
The Trump campaign's ground campaign in Iowa is several steps ahead of its 2016 effort, which narrowly lost to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the caucuses.
“Ted Cruz won in 2016 because he had a great ground game,” Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufman, who remains neutral in the Republican nomination race, told Fox News.
“Their ground game has stepped up tremendously,” Kaufman said, referring to Trump's 2024 campaign.
President Trump returned to Iowa on Wednesday, taking questions from Bret Baier, chief political anchor for Fox News' “Special Reports,” and Martha McCollum, editor-in-chief and anchor of “The Story,” at a prime-time town hall in Des Moines. I am planning to receive it. He plans to return again this weekend to take part in another campaign.
But his schedule in the state is much lighter than that of his rivals, and pales in comparison to his campaign efforts in Iowa leading up to the 2016 caucuses.
President Trump starts 2024 in 'strongest possible position'
One reason for this is Trump's busy legal schedule, juggling numerous lawsuits and trials. The former president appeared in federal court in the capital on Tuesday, where his lawyers argued he will not be prosecuted on charges of illegally trying to invalidate the 2020 election results.
However, his lack of time on the ground in Iowa compared to his rivals is something he is very well known for, having visited the state repeatedly since first campaigning there in 2015. It doesn't seem to have had a negative impact on Trump.
A supporter of former President Trump wears a Trump caucus captain's hat during a campaign rally in Waterloo, Iowa, Dec. 19, 2023. (Fox News – Paul Steinhausere)
President Trump and his campaign are aiming for an overwhelming victory in Iowa as part of their plan to end the nomination contest as soon as possible and focus on a rematch with President Biden in the general election next November, and there are high expectations. It is being sent.
President Trump is aware of that expectation and recently took aim at a familiar target: the media.
“If we win by a lot — but if we win by a little less than that, we're going to say, 'Well, he didn't disappoint,'” Trump told his supporters.
David Kochel, a longtime Republican strategist, recently told Fox News that Trump has “raised his expectations…It's all about expectations, and Trump's expectations are very high.” .
Kochel, a veteran of numerous Republican presidential campaigns nationally and in Iowa, said, “Given that the current polling average is well above 50, I don't think it would be possible if approval ratings were to fall below 50%.'' Well, that's a problem for him.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Jimmy Centers, an experienced Republican strategist based in Iowa, said that if Trump “wins by more than 20 points and gets more than 50% of the vote, oh my god, this is happening. It’s over before it even begins.”
“But if it's less than 15 points, I think we can race if the field solidifies,” Centers added. A veteran of multiple presidential, gubernatorial and congressional elections, he served as communications director for then-Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and current Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.
Get the latest on the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more with Fox News Digital's Election Hub.
