Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his leading rival for the Republican presidential nomination, when they separately courted voters Saturday at the Iowa State Fair.
But DeSantis took aim at Trump, the leading front-runner for his party’s 2024 nomination, and supporters of the former president repeatedly jeered the Florida governor as he walked around the fairgrounds, a necessary stop for White House hopefuls in the state kicking. off the GOP presidential nominating calendar.
DeSantis — who has been trying to change the narrative after a series of setbacks over the past two months, prompting weeks of negative stories spotlighting his campaign’s overspending, staff layoffs , leadership changes and other stumbles — had planned for weeks to campaign at the state fair on Saturday.
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Trump, who began targeting DeSantis months before the Florida governor officially announced his candidacy in late May, announced Tuesday that he would appear at the state fair on the same day as the Florida governor, so that likely get the spotlight from his rival.
“We have now done 38 of the 99 counties. We did six counties yesterday,” DeSantis touted as he spotlighted his barnstorming campaign through the first state caucus. “That’s really what it’s all about. And when you go there you bring a message. People do respond. We’re seeing that on the ground.”
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But DeSantis, as he sat with Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa for her “fair side chat,” was greeted by a group of protesters blowing whistles. And a plane flying “Be Likeable Ron!” banner circled in the sky above.
Minutes later, as he flipped pork chops at the Iowa Pork Producers Association building — a tradition for presidential contenders who stop by the fair — DeSantis was greeted by chants of “we love Trump” from supporters of the former president. huddled a few yards away. And the former president’s plane flew over the state fair grounds moments later, as fairgoers pointed to the sky.
Trump, who earlier this summer criticized Reynolds for remaining neutral in the race for the GOP presidential nomination, was the only Republican presidential candidate to attend the fair not to take on the Iowa governor for the one of the fair side chats.
Asked by Fox News if Trump missed an opportunity by not joining Reynolds at the fair, DeSantis blasted his 2024 rival.
“I think Donald Trump’s attacks on Kim Reynolds are completely out of line. I couldn’t disagree more with it. And he’s done nothing but do a great job. He’s done nothing to her. ,” he says.
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DeSantis argued, “That’s just how he operates — to attack one of the best governors in the country. . . . I don’t agree with the attacks against him. He’s way out of bounds, and at the end of the day , I’m glad Kim Reynolds is leading the way here in the state of Iowa.”
Trump is not promising to take the stage at the first Republican presidential nomination debate, a showdown hosted by Fox News on August 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He did not respond when Fox News asked him Saturday at the state fair if he would attend the debate. And the former president said a few days ago that he would not sign a Republican National Committee loyalty pledge to qualify for the face-off.
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“We signed the pledge to support the nominee because ultimately the mission of turning the country back down is bigger than any one person,” DeSantis told reporters. “I think I’ll be the nominee, and we’ll do the job, but at the end of the day, you’re not going to take your ball and go home. It’s not just about you. You’ve got to be willing to stand up and support the team.”
Pointing to Trump without mentioning him by name, DeSantis said, “There’s somebody who doesn’t want to do that, which just shows you that they’re running — their campaign is more about them than the broader public and the American. . . . I think every candidate should agree to support the nominee.”
Trump, who stopped several times as he walked the fairgrounds, was surrounded by a large crowd of enthusiastic supporters.
“The other candidates came here—they had six people,” Trump said, as he dramatically underestimated the crowds for his rivals for the GOP presidential nomination.
The former president – who enjoys a large double-digit lead over DeSantis and the rest of the large Republican White House field based on the latest surveys in Iowa, other early voting states, and national polls, has taken the oath of office. “We’ll be back. We don’t want to take any chances.”
Trump was joined by nine members of Florida’s congressional delegation who support him, in a deliberate dig at DeSantis.
The Florida governor, who was joined by a dozen Iowa state legislators supporting him, told reporters “I think it’s good to bring people from Washington but I think Iowans are more concerned about to people in their communities and Iowans that they know and work with and go to church with and see. I think we have 40 legislators from the Iowa House and Senate combined. I don’t think anybody has had that many , certainly not this early in the caucus process.”
Trump and DeSantis weren’t the only GOP presidential contenders at the state fair Saturday. The former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and entrepreneur and best-selling author Vivek Ramaswamy are also wooing voters.
After she joined Reynolds, Haley was asked in an interview with Fox News Digital about Trump’s decision not to join the Iowa governorship.
“I think Donald Trump can do what he wants,” Haley said. “I think that Kim Reynolds is the best governor in the country. To stand with the best governor in the country is a great thing. So it’s a shame that he doesn’t do it, but you have to ask him.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson – two long-shot candidates who are primarily challenging President Biden for the Democratic nomination – also enjoyed coverage from a large group of political reporters, as they made their way through the fairgrounds.