Trump celebrates win in Colorado election case during return visit to Iowa
FORT DODGE, Iowa — Former President Donald Trump celebrated a victory in a closely watched election case on Saturday during a return visit to Iowa, where he criticized his political enemies and encouraged his supporters not to move past their grievances with President Joe Biden.
A Colorado judge on Friday rejected an attempt to keep the Republican Party frontrunner off the state’s primary ballot, concluding that Trump engaged in insurrection during the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, but that it was unclear whether there would be a civil war. Era constitutional amendment banning insurgents from holding public office applied to the presidency. It was Trump’s latest victory after rulings in similar cases in Minnesota and Michigan.
Trump, who campaigned in west-central Iowa, called the decision “a monumental court victory,” calling what he called “an outrageous attempt to disenfranchise millions of voters by getting us off the ballot.”
“Our opponents show every day that they hate democracy,” he accused before a crowd of about 2,000 people at a commit-to-caucus event at a high school in Fort Dodge, Iowa, where supporters decked out in Trump gear in stood in line. hours to get a seat in the gym.
Trump’s visit was part of his fall push to sign up supporters and volunteers for the fast-approaching state caucuses that will kick off the race for the Republican presidential nomination. It was the latest in a series of targeted regional stops aimed at appealing to the large crowds the former president is drawing to press attendees to commit to voting for him and serving as county leaders on Jan. 15.
While Trump boasted that polls show him far ahead of other contenders, he urged attendees Saturday to show up on caucus day to “make sure we get a big win,” signaling to other candidates would be that they would have to drop out.
“Will you please give me a good show?” Trump asked the audience to applaud. “That’s the least you can do.”
Although Trump has a comfortable lead over his main rivals, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, in early polls of likely caucus participants, Trump’s campaign has been more aggressive in Iowa than in any of the others states with early voting whatsoever.
And he continued to attack both DeSantis and Haley during his appearance Saturday, criticizing the Florida governor for his past opposition to federal ethanol mandates and for opposing Trump.
Trump had mocked DeSantis in a radio interview on Thursday for his position in the polls, even after receiving the endorsement of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who broke with the common practice of refusing to endorse a candidate before the caucuses .
“I don’t think it’s made any difference,” he said of her support.
DeSantis, who stopped by his campaign’s new office in Urbandale on Saturday, told reporters that Trump was making missteps by attacking Reynolds and focusing on larger rallies.
“I think it was a mistake that he wasn’t willing to interact with Iowans other than coming in and giving a speech and then just leaving,” DeSantis said. “I think you need to get on the floor, you need to shake hands, you need to answer their questions.”
DeSantis campaigned in southern Iowa, moving closer to his goal of campaigning in all 99 counties. That’s a traditional mark that some candidates have tried to achieve to show their commitment to Iowa.
Despite pressure from DeSantis, Dale Mason, a construction worker from Fort Dodge, is a solid supporter of Trump.
“Trump has already proven himself to me. If it works, why mess with it?” Mason said. “I feel like it worked while he was still in office.”
The 31-year-old single father said he lives paycheck to paycheck and worries about being able to feed his 12-year-old daughter or put gas in the car. Trump “made it easier for us to get by,” Mason said, adding, “He supported us, so I think it’s our turn to give back to him.”
Sue Hewett, who had not previously seen Trump’s campaign in person, agreed. “There’s no one who comes across like him,” said Hewett, 68, who lives in Fort Dodge. “They don’t have a draw.” She said she was open to several candidates but has not been convinced by any of the other contenders so far.
Trump continued to portray Biden as incompetent and weak in his speech as he looks forward to a possible rematch of the general election. And he continued to air his grievances about the 2020 election, pushing conspiracies and falsely claiming he won, even as top state and federal elections officials, including his own attorney general, and numerous courts found no evidence of the widespread fraud he alleges. .
“We can never forget it. We can never let go of history,” Trump said.
He also continued to rail against his legal challenges, including his civil fraud trial in New York, where a judge has already ruled that Trump committed years of fraud while building his real estate empire.
Trump earlier Saturday escalated his attacks on the judge, Arthur Engoron, his law clerk and New York Attorney General Letitia James, saying on his social media site that the three “must be sanctioned and prosecuted because of this complete and very obvious miscarriage of justice !!! ”
The attack came two days after an appeals court judge temporarily lifted a gag order that had barred Trump from commenting on court staff, including the clerk. James’ office declined comment on the attacks. Judges have broad immunity from judicial decisions.
Trump has also been indicted four times and faces a total of 91 felonies.
In his remarks, Trump continued to lay out a second-term agenda that would be far more radical than his first, announcing that he intended to implement his plans before returning to the Oval Office. He said he planned to sign “four or five different documents” on the Capitol steps during his inauguration ceremony.
“I might even have a very small desk put on the twentieth flight of stairs,” he said.
Trump has made regular stops in Iowa over the past eight weeks, appearing at eight events before audiences totaling more than 16,000 people, according to details provided by Trump’s Secret Service.
It’s part of a 2024 strategy that puts more emphasis on organizing than in his 2016 campaign, when he finished in second place.
Rivals, especially DeSantis, have been visiting Iowa more often as they hope to score a better-than-expected finish against Trump, which they hope can catapult them into a head-to-head matchup against the frontrunners in later games.
A recent memo to donors from DeSantis’ campaign suggested that DeSantis’ all-in strategy in Iowa was consistent with his hopes of robbing Trump of “a big win in Iowa.”
___ Colvin reported from New York.