Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley braved a blizzard and subzero temperatures in Iowa on Saturday to cut into Republican front-runner Donald Trump. Meanwhile, they awaited the results of a closely watched poll that could show who will come in second place in Monday's crucial caucuses.
Trump: “I think you're stupid'' DeSantis told voters at the Bluffs Council meeting.Iowa State says the former president tried to “gaslight” the public over his response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Donald Trump once boasted that he shut down the world's largest economy. He shut it down and said he saved all these lives,” the Florida governor said. “Now he's saying the opposite” — referring to a Fox News town hall this week in which President Trump gave a revised version of 2020's events.
“He doesn't think you can see that what he's saying is completely, completely false,” DeSantis charged.
Speaking in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Haley called President Trump an agent of “chaos.”
“I think President Trump was the right president at the right time.” Former United Nations Ambassador spoke. “But for better or for worse, confusion follows him.”
Haley cited national polls to promote herself as the Republican candidate most likely to defeat President Biden in November's general election.
“Republicans lost the last seven of the eight popular votes for president, and that's nothing to be proud of,” she said. “The only way to win over the majority of Americans is to move forward with a new generation of conservative leaders and leave the negativity and baggage behind.”
Polls show both Haley and DeSantis trailing far behind Trump, who canceled Saturday's in-person rally due to inclement weather in the Hawkeye State.
Trump has a 53% approval rating among Iowa Republicans, compared to 17.8% for Haley and 15.5% for DeSantis, according to RealClearPolitics polling averages.
But turnout during Monday's hours-long caucuses (which required voters to participate in person) could be heavily influenced by weather conditions, with up to a foot of snow on the ground and temperatures across the state Temperatures are expected to drop to -10 degrees.
