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The two politicians seen as the top Republicans in the race for their party’s 2024 presidential nomination have made their opening pitches to Iowa voters. Former President Donald Trump made his first trip to the state since announcing his third presidential bid on Monday where he took shots at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who made his Iowa debut on Friday.
«Ron [DeSantis] was a disciple of Paul Ryan, who was a RINO loser who is currently destroying Fox,» Trump said from the stage of the Adler Theater. RINO stands for Republican In Name Only.
Trump’s visit came following last week’s news that the former president has been invited to testify in front of a New York grand jury, a move that’s widely understood to mean he could soon face criminal charges. Trump, who came in second in the 2016 Iowa Republican caucuses and won Iowa in the general election that year and again in 2020, told the audience they were much better off with him in the White House than President Joe Biden or DeSantis, his chief rival. DeSantis has not yet announced an official bid for the White House.
A new Des Moines Register Iowa poll showed while Trump is still viewed favorably by Iowa Republicans, his support is eroding. The percentage of Iowa Republicans who say they would «definitely» vote for him if he were the nominee in 2024 has plummeted by more than 20 percentage points since June 2021.
«I don’t disagree with a lot of Trump’s policies but I think he’s just too abrasive,» said Ron Schorg, who is retired from the life insurance industry.
