Tornado threat cancels Trump’s Iowa rally as Ron DeSantis campaigns in the state

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DES MOINES, Iowa A tornado watch forced former President Donald Trump to abruptly cancel a planned outdoor rally here Saturday, the same day his top potential challenger for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, met with voters in the state.

Trump, who has yet to leave Palm Beach, Fla., promised in a Truth Social post that he would reschedule the rally as soon as possible.

“Please Find a Shelter or Safe Haven!” he wrote in one of a pair of posts about the rally.

The decision averts a much-anticipated clash-of-the-titans weekend in the state that will hold the nation’s first primary contest next year. Earlier in the day, DeSantis mingled with voters at the Iowa Republican Rep.’s annual family picnic event. Randy Feenstra in Sioux Center, in the western part of the state.

Craig Robinson, a longtime Republican operative, described Trump’s planned rally as an attempt to “squash” attention for DeSantis’ appearances on Saturday. DeSantis is also scheduled to headline a state party fundraising event in Cedar Rapids.

Trump holds a 31 percentage point lead over DeSantis in the Real Clear Politics national polling average, with other candidates registering in the single digits. There has been little polling in Iowa, and Republican insiders say DeSantis, who has secured endorsements from 37 state GOP lawmakers this week, will have a chance to present to voters that he is a better candidate. that choice over the frontrunner.

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