Don and Ron share the stage in Iowa for the first time as Trump mounts a showdown with Republican rivals desperate to get a hold of him – while shrugging off criminal cases

President Donald Trump’s legal woes mount as his biggest rival for the 2024 Republican nomination, Ron DeSantis, tries to reset his faltering campaign.

On Friday night, they make their first appearance at the same campaign event in Iowa in a high-stakes showdown.

They will join 11 other Republican candidates in Des Moines for the state party’s Lincoln Dinner.

It’s a rare appearance for Trump alongside the rest of the field in a state where his rivals are desperate to punch the clear front-runner.

With Iowa’s first primary in the country less than six months away, it’s a golden opportunity to impress the 1,200 GOP members and activists who will be in attendance.

Former President Donald Trump will make his first appearance Friday night at the same campaign event in Iowa as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

“President Trump is a strong supporter of Chairman Kaufmann and the Iowa GOP, who have worked hand-in-hand to bring new voters into the party and make Iowa a red state,” said Trump adviser Jason Miller, referring to the leader of the state Republican party.

“When the opportunity arose to speak at their dinner, President Trump, of course, said yes.”

Trump has avoided sharing a stage with other candidates elsewhere, and has indicated he will avoid the first debate next month.

That he makes an exception reflects the interest of the state. many in the field have an Iowa-or-bust strategy and bet on a good early showing to stay in the race.

Polls show Trump has a big lead and DeSantis is unable to rein in his lead. A Fox Business poll over the weekend found he had the support of 46 percent of likely caucus attendees, 30 points ahead of the Florida governor.

However, the former president may have opened the door for his rivals by attacking the state’s governor, Kim Reynolds, who is popular with Republicans.

She has pledged to remain neutral during the nomination battle, much to Trump’s anger.

At the same time, his legal troubles only increase with new charges in the case involving secret documents submitted on the eve of the dinner.

Senator Tim Scott and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy have both seen their stocks rise during the early campaigns, and both have tried to avoid criticism of front-runner Trump

Former Vice President Mike Pence and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley both need to gain ground to avoid becoming early victims of the race

Not that it makes much difference to Iowa Republicans, said Steve Meimann, who attended a town hall event hosted by Tim Scott on Thursday night.

“This may sound odd, but if you’re in charge after all this, which he’s been through… no,” he said.

Sue Vande Kamp, 73, a retired county recorder, added, “They’ve been after him since he came down that escalator,” referring to Trump’s 2015 campaign launch event.

Even Scott himself balked at suggesting he could take advantage of Trump’s legal troubles when asked directly about city hall.

“Well, I’m running for president, so I hope the caucus attendees caucus for me. So I hope I will be this party’s nominee,” he said in Ankeny, just outside Des Moines, before turning to repeat Trump’s witch-hunt cries.

“Ultimately, we should all be very concerned about arming the Justice Department.”

Senator Tim Scott’s background as an evangelical Christian resonates with Iowa Republicans

His stock is on the rise. Scott, the only black Republican senator, has made much of his life story and message of hope as he remained vague on the policy and made sure he aligned himself with Trump.

That has seen his numbers rise in national polls and in early primary states. A poll for DailyMail.com published Sunday showed he is now tied for third in New Hampshire at eight percent.

DeSantis is another candidate who has been careful not to criticize Trump for his legal mess.

On Friday, during a campaign stop in Albia, he missed an opportunity to beat the leader.

“I’m not a legal analyst,” he said.

His campaign is in the process of transforming itself into a leaner operation, running as an insurgent group after fundraising reports revealed it was burning through money.

Our new poll shows the state of the New Hampshire Republican primary. The two leading candidates have seen their support share dwindle as others gain momentum

When primary voters were asked what their biggest hesitation was about voting for DeSantis, their answers focused on the idea that he was not Trump. Others questioned his experience

More than a third of the workforce has been cut and he seems to be relying more on a well-funded Super PAC, Never Back Down.

On Thursdays and Fridays, he toured Iowa by bus.

But he promised to do everything he could to win Iowa.

“We’re on a mission to rally the majority of the delegates and we think Iowa is important for that,” he said.

“And we’re going to be spending a lot of time in New Hampshire after this trip, and we’ve been to South Carolina recently. We will continue to do so.

‘We keep working hard, you have to earn that per person.’

Trump, on the other hand, has not spent days and days in Iowa shaking hands at small town hall events.