Donald Trump says Melania’s late mother is ‘looking down’ from heaven and would be ‘proud’ after historic Iowa caucus win
Donald Trump has called on the US to ‘come together’ and thanked his entire family after decimating the rest of the Republican field in the Iowa caucus.
The former president, 77, said wife Melania’s late mother Amalija Knavs was “looking down” from heaven and would be “proud” of the historic result as he praised all his rivals during the victory lap.
Knavs died last week at the age of 78 and her funeral will take place this week in Florida after Trump attends court to hear E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case against him.
He celebrated after coasting to victory in just 30 minutes in the early primaries by waiting on stage as Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” played for the crowd.
Trump paid tribute to all his children, including son Barron, who he said was “watching on TV.”
He said that his 17-year-old son was so tall because he kept eating all of Grandmother Knav’s food.
Trump then congratulated Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis as they competed for the second time, saying they had a “fun time together.”
Donald Trump has called on the US to ‘come together’ and thanked his entire family after decimating the rest of the Republican field in the Iowa caucus
The former president, 77, said wife Melania’s late mother Amalija Knavs was “looking down” and would be “proud” of the historic result
He also had kind words for Vivek Ramaswamy, just before announcing that he would be suspending his campaign.
“I would also like to congratulate Vivek for doing a great job. He came from scratch…that’s a great job,” Trump said.
The historic landslide occurred despite arctic temperatures and the Hawkeye State being buffeted by snowstorms that were expected to decimate turnout.
It gives Trump a major boost as he tries to clinch the Republican presidential nomination and return to the White House in what would be the most remarkable political comeback in American history.
The early call sparked outrage from the rest of the Republican field, with DeSantis’ campaign accusing the news networks of engaging in “election interference.”
Thousands of die-hard Iowans braved wind chills as low as minus 35 degrees and ignored freeze warnings to head to their precincts to cast their ballots.
Trump huddled in the downtown Des Moines lot for more than an hour after cable networks and the AP infuriated Ron DeSantis by calling the race for him as the caucuses were still rallying support.
He was accompanied by his son Donald Trump Jr., who has been a constant surrogate and who earlier Monday warned of a plot to “suppress the vote.”
The speed of the call caused Trump’s party planners to make a leap forward during the campaign. His followers hadn’t even arrived at the party when the networks called.
Only after he was declared the winner did his campaign crank up the PA system to play Elvis Presley’s ‘Suspicious Minds’.
Supporters shouted ‘Trump! Trump!’ and ‘Build the wall!’ as they waited for the former president to appear, while a cash bar served drinks. Two large monitors showed a Fox News feed broadcasting the magnitude of his victory.
Former First Lady Melania Trump’s mother, Amalija Knavs, 78, has died after being hospitalized in Miami, Florida, over the holidays. She is pictured center with her daughter and Donald Trump in 2018
Knavs was a textile mill trader in her native Slovenia when she met husband Viktor. The couple then moved to the US and were by Melania’s side throughout her career from modeling to the East Wing. She is pictured with her daughter in 2004
The former president, 77, gives a thumbs up with son Don Jr. next to a TV screen showing Fox News showing he will win the race
As of 10 p.m., Trump had more than 50 percent of the vote, while Haley and DeSantis finished in second place
The historic landslide occurred despite arctic temperatures and the Hawkeye State being pummeled by snowstorms expected to decimate turnout
By the time he came out, his campaign had already said he won in a “landslide” and allies including Rep. Elise Stefanik and the Make American Great Again PAC called on rivals to drop out of the race.
Trump’s celebration took place while Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley were locked in a duel for second place, and a DeSantis aide called it “Absolutely outrageous that the media would participate in election interference by calling the race before tens of thousands of Iowans have even had a chance to vote. .’
“The media is after Trump and this is the most egregious example yet,” aide Andrew Romero complained.
It remained to be determined whether Trump would cross the 50 percent threshold, and whether any of his rivals would gain enough momentum to gain momentum in New Hampshire or South Carolina.
Three caucusgoers appear at the Franklin Jr. High School in Iowa, ready to cast their votes
Sharon McNutt holds paper ballots with the names of the candidates in alphabetical order
Voters arrive at a caucus location at Fellows Elementary School to choose their Republican candidate
Trump surrogate Kari Lake cheered the victory and called on rivals to get away.
“Everyone and their brother knew President Trump would win. The question is how committed the people of Iowa were to the future of this country. And tonight we discovered that Iowans are just as great as we thought. They showed up in droves,” she told DailyMail.com at Trump’s victory party.
“I’m so proud of my home state,” the native Iowan said.”
She brushed off the 50 percent threshold as a fixation. “Anything above 12 percent would be a huge victory,” she said of Trump’s margin of victory. ‘And I think he will reach that 50 percent. I hope so. But I’ll tell you what: I can take the win any day.
Asked about the importance of the Trump trials (head flies to New York tomorrow), she said: “I think the Americans just understand what’s going on,” accusing some media members of “character assassination of a man who this country loves’.
She called on DeSantis and Haley to lose weight, but used a gentle touch. She urged DeSantis to “take the time to get back to Florida.” He just won that election. The people of Florida are counting on Governor DeSantis to return and lead that state. It’s a great state in this country. And I hope he does some soul searching and realizes that this isn’t just another political moment in history… It’s not his time.”
Then she punched Haley and said, “I hope Haley, Nikki Haley, will tell her big donors and the big military-industrial complex, no, I’m not going to be your pawn. I’m going to stand with President Trump. We are going to save this country. We’re not going to waste hundreds of millions anymore on ads going to New Hampshire.”