Former President Donald Trump is back in Iowa this weekend, picking up the pace of his campaign with just over a week left until the state caucuses begin the Republican presidential nominating calendar on January 15th.
His message to supporters: “We don't want to sit around and rely on opinion polls.”
The former president is running for the White House for the third consecutive year and is the front-runner for the Republican nomination.
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 loss, are among Republican voters. It only increased Trump's support.
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Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Terrace View Event Center on Friday, January 5, 2024, in Sioux Center, Iowa. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The latest Iowa polls show him with an approval rating of more than 50%, several miles ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a distant second-place contender, and former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. There is.
“We have a 30-40 point lead,” Trump told supporters.
But Trump, who had missed the first four Republican presidential primary debates and had until recently been keeping a light schedule campaigning in Iowa and early voting states, was able to hold on to his large lead. Not that there is.
“The poll numbers are scary because we're so far ahead,” President Trump told supporters at a rally in Waterloo, Iowa, just before Christmas.
“After Iowa, we can put this to bed. We have to make sure we get this done. … You have to show up, even if we think we're going to win by a wide margin. You have to show up. It must be done.”
Trump's campaign began operations in earnest several weeks ago, training nearly 2,000 caucus leaders in precincts across the state.
“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 represented,” said Chris, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign. Lasivita told Fox News last month.
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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.
Pointing to the 2024 Trump campaign, Kaufman emphasized that their “ground combat has been greatly strengthened.”
President Trump and his campaign are aiming for a landslide victory in Iowa as part of their plan to end the nomination contest as quickly as possible and focus on a rematch with President Biden in the general election.
Their main concern is complacency.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Byrd, a leading Trump surrogate, told Fox News, “I am the captain of the Guthrie County caucus. I'm going to be in the caucus to help. We have to stay focused and say, “Our people have to come. The support is strong and there, but our must go.”
Another concern for Trump and his campaign is that Trump's overwhelming lead in the Iowa polls and national polls may be inflating expectations; Check to see if it matches or exceeds it.
Mr. Trump, aware of the expectations he faced, took aim at a familiar target: the media.
“If we win a ton, if we win a ton, if we win a little bit less, they're going to say, 'Oh, he didn't disappoint,'” Trump told his supporters. Told.
David Kochel, a longtime Republican strategist, told Fox News last month that Trump has “raised his own expectations. … It's all about expectations, and Trump's expectations are very high.” Told.
Kochel, a veteran of numerous Republican presidential campaigns across the country and in Iowa, said, “Given that the current polling average is well above 50, if the approval rating drops below 50%, I don't think it's possible.'' Well, that's a problem for him.''
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Jimmy Centers, an experienced Republican strategist based in Iowa, said that if Trump “wins by more than 20 points and gets over 50%, this whole thing will be over before it even begins.” “There is,” he said.
“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 legislative campaigns. He served as communications director for former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and current Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.
Trump is not the only candidate struggling with expectations.
Republican presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign event at the Thunderdome in Newton, Iowa on December 2, 2023. (Reuters/Vincent Alban)
DeSantis, who is betting his chances of winning the nomination on a strong showing at Iowa State, predicted a win in the Hawkeye State.
“We're going to win here in Iowa,” he told Fox News Digital while campaigning in the eastern part of the state the week before Christmas.
And he predicted at the caucus that “there's going to be a lot of clarity in terms of who's real and who's not. So we're looking forward to that.”
Asked if he intended to move to New Hampshire, which ranks second on the Republican calendar, regardless of the outcome in Iowa, DeSantis quickly replied, “Of course. Yes, absolutely. Absolutely.”
“Governor DeSantis needs to finish in second place to advance and make a strong case in New Hampshire,” Centers told Fox News.
Ms. Haley has been cautiously tempering expectations in recent weeks as she has gained momentum, catching up with Mr. DeSantis in Iowa and national polls and closing the gap with Mr. Trump in New Hampshire.
2024 Republican presidential candidate, former United Nations ambassador and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley is interviewed by FOX News Digital on November 17, 2023 in Newton, Iowa. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Asked where he needs to finish in Iowa and New Hampshire, Haley said in an interview on Fox News Digital this week: “I've got to be strong in Iowa, I've got to be strong in New Hampshire, I've got to be strong in South Carolina. That's what I'm going to do. ' he repeated.
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But comments the next day from New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, Haley's top surrogate, appeared to raise hopes.
“We know Trump will win the Iowa caucuses,” Sununu said at a Haley campaign event in Londonderry, New Hampshire. “But again, for Nicki to come in second when no one thought it would happen, it will happen and it will give her even more momentum.”
Get the latest on the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more with Fox News Digital's Election Hub.
