Trump wins in Iowa
DES MOINES, Iowa — Donald Trump won the Iowa caucuses Monday, a crucial victory at the outset of the Republican primary that reinforces the former president's bond with his party's voters even as he faces extraordinary legal challenges that could complicate his bid to return to the White House.
The magnitude of Trump's success is still coming into focus, but the former president's supporters endured a historic and life-threatening cold snap to participate in caucus meetings that unfolded in schools, churches and community centers across the state.
The results are just the first in what will be a months-long effort for Trump to secure the GOP nomination a third consecutive time. But it sends an unmistakable message to the Republican Party that the nomination is Trump's to lose and crystalizes the challenge facing his GOP opponents.
The findings from AP VoteCast showed Trump had significant strength among urban, small-town and rural communities. Trump also performs well with evangelical Christians and those without a college degree. And a majority of caucus-goers say that they identify with Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement.
Trump has predicted he will set a modern-day record for a competitive Republican caucus and called on his supporters to deliver huge margins as a rebuff to his opponents. His onetime chief rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, meanwhile, is fighting for his political survival in a make-or-break race for second place. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the only woman in the race, stands in DeSantis' way. The two have competed aggressively in recent weeks to emerge as the clear alternative to the former president, who has alienated many Americans and could end up being a convicted felon by year's end.
"With our situation in this country right now, to me, the only candidate is Trump. ... He won't back down," said 71-year-old Vicki Cannon, of Ankeny, as she waited Monday to hear Donald Trump Jr. campaign on his father's behalf. "I just feel the only one that can get us out — I'm just sad it's only going to be for four years — is Trump. Even if people don't like him because of the way he talks sometimes, you know, he was a good president."
On the issues, those voting Monday have a greater desire to focus on cultural matters like immigration than the health of the U.S. economy, according to AP VoteCast.
Their message to GOP candidates in this first presidential contest was clear: About 9 in 10 want an upheaval or substantial change in how the U.S. government operates. Many expressed skepticism about the government's legal system and the integrity of American elections, evidence of the sway that Trump still holds on a sizable share of the Republican Party.
With the coldest temperatures in caucus history and dangerous travel conditions in virtually every corner of the state, the campaigns were bracing for a low-turnout contest that will test the strength of their support and their organizational muscle. The final result will serve as a powerful signal for the rest of the nomination fight to determine who will face Democratic President Joe Biden in the November general election.
After Iowa, the Republican primary shifts to New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina over the coming weeks before moving into the rest of the country this spring. The ultimate nominee won't be confirmed until the party's national convention in July, but with big wins in the opening contests, Trump will be difficult to stop.
In recent weeks, Trump has increasingly echoed authoritarian leaders and framed his campaign as one of retribution. He has spoken openly about using the power of government to pursue his political enemies. He has repeatedly harnessed rhetoric once used by Adolf Hitler to argue that immigrants entering the U.S. illegally are "poisoning the blood of our country." And he recently shared a word cloud last week to his social media account highlighting "revenge," "power" and "dictatorship."
Trump's top surrogates played up the stakes Monday.
"I truly believe that God has placed each and every one of us here at this moment, for this moment to save this country," Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake told Trump supporters in Fort Dodge.