Trump destroys Ron DeSantis in Iowa as presidential race heats up

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Trump is the only one who can save this country at this point, said Traci Walters, a 52-year-old accountant from Cedar Rapids. We know he can. And you know, other people, maybe they can, maybe they can’t. We do not know.

The former president’s biggest applause came when he spoke about social issues, such as banning critical race theory from schools and transgender athletes from women’s sports.

But, as he fleshed out the education plank of his platform, he also showed he’s paying attention to the way DeSantis is using the federal Covid-19 response to appeal to GOP voters.

Trump, who pushed hard for the development of vaccines as president, echoed the rhetoric of DeSantis who signed a ban on vaccine mandates last year.

I will not give a dime to any school with a vaccine mandate, Trump declared on Monday. He also pledged to push other states to adopt school-voucher systems similar to the one signed into law by Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and for the direct election of school principals. In one area where the president has a clearer policy role, he said it was a “short-term goal” to dismantle the Department of Education.

Despite the event being billed by his campaign as focused on education, Trump leaned heavily on agriculture and trade.

Iowa is one of the top farm states in the country, and Trump has touted his record on the issue. He recounted giving payments to farmers to offset the costs of a trade war with China, reminding voters that he had reinstated a recently revived Obama-era regulation that determined which waterways were subject to to Clean Water Act standards, and promised to do more.

“Within hours of my inauguration, I will cancel every Biden policy that oppresses our farmers,” Trump said, prompting a standing ovation and a chant of “USA” in his call for repeal Biden’s agriculture agenda. He then promised to make fertilizer cheaper and export more ethanol.

Reynolds, who appeared twice with DeSantis on Friday, introduced Trump and praised his work for the state as president.

“In other words,” he said, “he fought for Iowans.”

In an interview with NBC News Friday, Reynolds, who has not endorsed a candidate, deflected when asked about possible interest in being a vice presidential running mate for the eventual nominee.

“We’re focused on Iowa right now,” he said. “Will spend a lot of time here.”

Trump, who spoke to crowds noticeably larger than the two DeSantis events last week, said he chose the indoor venue because it was too cold outside for one of his trademark rallies. The theater manager said more than 2,000 people attended. Jason Miller, a top Trump adviser, said the audience included people from 77 of the state’s 99 counties.

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