Ron DeSantis tiptoes around Iowa as Trump cancels visit amid tornado threat

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DES MOINES, Iowa It was supposed to be a clash of the 2024 GOP presidential primary titans in Iowa Saturday, but Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has the state on his own to meet with voters in several stops since the threat of tornadoes forced former President Donald Trump to cancel an outdoor rally.

DeSantis, because of Trump’s absence, hastily scheduled an impromptu stop Saturday night at Jethro’s, a Des Moines barbecue joint just around the corner from the park where Trump planned to hold his rally. Nearly 100 DeSantis supporters packed the restaurant’s patio and the sidewalk outside to take photos, shake hands and hear him give a short version of his stump speech.

Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. NBC News / Getty Images

Climbing to a table with his wife, Casey DeSantis, to address the crowd, the Florida governor hinted at what has been obvious in his two visits this year to the state that holds the first Republican primary contest: close he made his candidacy official.

Arguing that Florida and Iowa are a source of hope for voters because Republican governors there have been able to implement their agendas, DeSantis said, “We’re going to have an opportunity very soon to make sure that’s done every state in this country.”

But DeSantis, who is on the verge of triggering campaign finance requirements for making his bid official, declined to say for sure he would run or to answer questions about abortion and whether, like Trump , he was inclined to pardon those convicted in connection with the January 6 insurrection.

Trump, the front-runner, and DeSantis, who is his leading challenger in national polls, will have plenty of time to fight for the hearts and votes of Iowa caucus-goers before next year’s contest.

On Saturday, nature intervened to give DeSantis a rare opportunity to make his case without interference from oxygen-guzzling Trump.

Instead of attacking Trump directly, DeSantis took repeated shots at the former president who was once a close ally.

We must reject the culture of defeat that has infected our party in recent years, DeSantis told Sioux Center, referring to Trump’s impact on GOP candidates in recent years. If we get distracted, if we focus the election on the past or on other side issues, I think the Democrats will lose us again, and I think it will be very difficult to recover from that loss.

Trump wasn’t there to defend himself or rip DeSantis.

Hours before he was due to address supporters, Trump sent word via the Truth Social media platform advising him to postpone or cancel his remarks due to a tornado. Moments later, he posted again, announcing that the rally had been canceled and would soon be rescheduled. He did release a list of campaign leaders in each of the state’s 99 counties on Saturday.

But Trump wasn’t willing to throw caution to the wind that didn’t materialize at the rally site and DeSantis wasn’t willing to throw it into the known wind.

Instead, Florida’s governor carefully toured Iowa, partaking in some of its retail traditions in a controlled, quiet style.

Even with giant signs proclaiming “DeSantis ’24” hanging at the Iowa Republican Rep.’s “family picnic” event. Randy Feenstra in Sioux Center, and the pro-DeSantis Never Back Down super PAC unveiling a bus with the words “Join Team DeSantis for President ,” the would-be candidate is sticking to his stump-speech script.

After his remarks, as most of the crowd left the picnic, DeSantis posed for photos with Feenstra and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds awkwardly balancing a burger on a spatula.

At the time, the photo op was mainly for the benefit of the media, which embraced him. DeSantis ignored most of the questions, but did field one by criticizing President Joe Biden’s handling of immigration enforcement at the US border with Mexico.

DeSantis also visited Pizza Ranch, the quintessential political retail stop here that, in and of itself, oozes someone running for president. He shook hands and signed autographs for young fans.

At one point he got away from the crowd.

Where is the first lady? DeSantis said, looking around at his wife, who was speaking to supporters in a separate room. As he would in Des Moines, DeSantis delivered a shortened version of a stump speech, repeating familiar lines about his handling of Covid-19 and fighting Disney.

Trump has led the country in the right direction, maybe DeSantis can continue it, said Arlene Lang, who was upset about the Florida governor’s comments.

Ralph Klemme, a former state representative, said he was a Trump supporter but was ready for someone new.

I like what DeSantis has done in Florida and what he stands for, I think he should be for the country, Klemme said. I like the things that President Trump has done good things but there are other things about him that people, including myself, don’t like, what he says, how he says it.

Despite national polls showing Trump leading the field, Iowa GOP Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann expressed skepticism that potential caucus-goers have made up their minds, saying they are taking the their jobs as first-in-the-nation vetters of presidential candidates.

I don’t know that Iowa voters are going to allow themselves to lock anything in here early, I don’t think so, Kaufmann said. That belies the nature of the beast.

At the same time, a clear dynamic grips the race here that reflects the national frame: Trump, seeking his third consecutive GOP nomination, is the favorite, and DeSantis leads the pack of rivals.

“I think if the caucus were held today, Trump would be the favorite to win based on his legion of loyal followers,” said Will Rogers, a former chairman of the Polk County Republican Party. “That said, I see a lot of interest growing in DeSantis and I wouldn’t be surprised if his polling moves him within striking distance of Trump by the end of the year.”

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