DeSantis and Trump are competing to hold Iowa GOP activists in dueling events

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SIOUX CENTER, Iowa (AP) Warning against Republican culture of defeat, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday weakened former President Donald Trump’s grip on the GOP as the parties’ leading presidential prospects clashed in battleground Iowa.

DeSantis, expected to announce his 2024 presidential campaign any day now, took Iowans into hand-to-hand politicking at a picnic fundraiser in Sioux Center where several hundred conservatives ate burgers while surrounded by classic Corvettes . DeSantis later plans to attend a state party fundraiser in Cedar Rapids, while Trump, a candidate since November, hopes to show his political strength at a large outdoor rally in Des Moines, the capital.

DeSantis did not go after Trump by name, but sprinkled his remarks with indirect jabs while highlighting his own success in implementing conservative policies and winning elections.

Management is not about leisure. Management is not about brand building or social media conversations and virtue signaling, said DeSantis, dressed in a blue button-down shirt with no jacket. Ultimately it’s about winning and producing results.

Although Trump and DeSantis were set to be hundreds of miles apart, the split-screen moment in the GOPs primary leadoff state marked a first for the two Republican powerhouses. The day offered an early preview of the match-up between Trump, who is ahead of his rivals in early national polls, and DeSantis, who is widely viewed as the strongest potential challenger.

Trump, meanwhile, is returning to the comfort of the campaign stage after a tumultuous week.

On Tuesday, a New York civil jury found advice columnist E. Jean Carroll liable for sexual assault and defamation and awarded her $5 million. A day later, in a controversial CNN town hall, he repeatedly insulted Carroll, again lied about his 2020 election loss and downplayed the violence at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

DeSantis built his reputation as a conservative governor willing to push hard on conservative policies and even get into a political fight with Disney, which he featured in Sioux Center. But so far, he hasn’t shown the same enthusiasm for fighting Trump, who has been almost single-handedly focused on destroying DeSantis for months.

And even before DeSantis formally entered the race, he faced questions about his ability to woo donors and woo voters.

His visit to Iowa tested his personal appeal as he mingled with Republican officials, donors and volunteers, all under the national media spotlight.

More than 600 people attended DeSantis afternoon appearance at the car museum. Billed as a family picnic for US Rep. Randy Feenstra, the event was actually an indoor luncheon, even though the grills outside were smoking hundreds of hamburgers.

Much of the action was indoors, where a pro-DeSantis super political action committee set up a table where prospective supporters could sign up for his as-yet-unannounced presidential campaign. The road outside the museum is lined with DeSantis 2024 campaign signs.

While on stage, DeSantis devoted much of his speech to divisive cultural issues, including his opposition to diversity and equity programs in public schools and laws aimed at restricting transgender rights. But, in another indirect jab at Trump, he highlighted the GOP’s recent string of election losses.

We must reject the culture of defeat that has affected our party in recent years. The time for excuses is over, DeSantis said. 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.

Trump is scheduled to headline an evening rally that is expected to draw several thousand people to an outdoor amphitheater at Des Moines Water Works Park.

Former presidential aides said the Des Moines event was in the works before DeSantis’ plans were made public, and they hope more people draw comparisons to the scale of their respective events.

At least for Trump, their burgeoning rivalry has become increasingly personal.

DeSantis has ignored Trumps jabs, which include suggesting it was inappropriate for young women to be a teacher decades ago, questioning his sexuality and calling him Ron DeSanctimonious.

Trumps campaign began airing an ad mocking DeSantis for impersonating the former president in 2018 when he ran for governor, even using some Trump catchphrases as a nod to his Florida supporters.

Trumps super PAC, MAGA Inc., also aired spots highlighting DeSantis’ votes to cut Social Security and Medicare and raise the retirement age. The group even targeted DeSantis’ snacking habits, running an ad that called for him to avoid his pudding fingers with those benefits. That was a reference to a report in The Daily Beast that the governor ate chocolate pudding with his fingers instead of a spoon on a plane a few years ago.

DeSantis said he doesn’t remember doing that.

A pro-DeSantis super PAC, Never Back Down, has hired an Iowa staffer and begun trying to organize support for the governor ahead of a 2024 announcement. The group announced Thursday that state Senate President Amy Sinclair and state House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl will endorse DeSantis’ candidacy. On Friday, it launched about three dozen state lawmakers who will endorse him.

The super PAC is also giving a stronger response to Trump, suggesting he should leave Florida if he’s unhappy with DeSantis’ management, accusing Trump of not supporting gun rights enough and siding with liberals. which is Democratic.

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Price reported from Des Moines, Iowa. AP Political Writer Steve Peoples in New York contributed to this report.

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