Trump and DeSantis dueling events in Iowa today to woo GOP voters

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DES MOINES, Iowa Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump will share the spotlight in Iowa on Saturday, providing a chance to influence influential conservative activists and compare their campaign styles in the Republicans leadoff voting state.

DeSantis, who is expected to announce his 2024 presidential campaign any day now, is scheduled to weigh in on Iowa politics at the congressmen’s annual picnic and an Iowa Republican Party fundraiser, while Trump, a candidate since November, hopes to show strength in an outdoor rally with supporters.

Although the two men were hours apart, the split-screen moment in Iowa was a first for the two national Republican powerhouses. It was an early preview of a match-up between the former president, who is ahead of his party rivals in early national polls, and DeSantis, who is widely viewed as his strongest potential challenger.

It will be DeSantis’ first trip to the early testing ground since the Florida legislature adjourned last week after months of delivering to the governor a conservative agenda he hopes to announce once he announces his campaign.

Trump, meanwhile, will return 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 has built a reputation as a conservative governor willing to push hard on conservative policies and even take on Disney politically. But so far, he hasn’t shown the same enthusiasm in taking on Trump, and even before he entered the race, he faced questions about his ability to woo donors and woo voters.

His visit to Iowa will put his personal appeal to the test as he mingles with local Iowa Republican officials, donors and volunteers, all under the national media spotlight.

DeSantis made his first visit to Iowa in March, promoting his memoir at events that drew more than 1,000 people in Davenport and Des Moines. Although DeSantis shook hands on the rope line near the stage after the events, he didn’t interact much with the voters. This time, he can expect a crush of introductions to influential caucus activists in a more conversational setting who will make his first move.

More than 700 people are expected to attend the Sioux Center fundraising event for Rep. Randy Feenstra at the Dean Classic Car Museum, as well as dozens of news reporters from around the country. Later, DeSantis plans to headline a state party fundraiser in Cedar Rapids that is expected to attract about 300 influential eastern Iowa Republicans.

Trump, on the other hand, is leading a rally expected to draw several thousand people to an outdoor amphitheater at Des Moines Water Works Park on Saturday night.

Although Trump aides said the Des Moines event was in the works before DeSantis’ plans were made public, he and his team have long seen the governor as his only serious challenger. They expect a large rally of Trump supporters on Saturday to fuel comparisons on the scale of their respective events.

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While Saturday was their first time in Iowa together, Trump held a rally in Davenport three days after DeSantis did in March and targeted her on renewable fuels and federal rights.

Saturday’s dueling displays come as the burgeoning rivalry turns personal.

DeSantis largely ignored Trumps jabs, which included suggesting it was inappropriate for young women to be teachers decades ago, questioning his sexuality and calling him Ron DeSanctimonious.

DeSantis’ most pointed barb at Trump came in March, before Trump was indicted on charges related to hush money paid to a porn actor. Asked by reporters about the prospect of an indictment, DeSantis said, I don’t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to keep some kind of alleged relationship quiet. I just can’t talk about it.

Trumps campaign began airing an ad mocking DeSantis for ingratiating himself with 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., is also airing 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 asking him to avoid his pudding fingers at those benefits, a reference to a report in The Daily Beast that the governor ate chocolate pudding using his fingers instead of a spoon on a plane several times. year ago

DeSantis said he doesn’t remember doing that.

A pro-DeSantis super PAC, Never Back Down, hired an Iowa staffer and began trying to organize support for the governor ahead of his announcement. The group has already started knocking and announced Thursday that Iowa Senate President Amy Sinclair and Iowa House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl will endorse DeSantis’ candidacy. The group on Friday pitched another roughly three dozen state GOP lawmakers to 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.

Trump should fight Democrats, not lie about Gov. DeSantis, says the narrator in an ad. What happened to Donald Trump?

By THOMAS BEAUMONT and MICHELLE L. PRICE

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