Former US President Donald Trump and his top rivals for the Republican presidential nomination took turns addressing an influential gathering of Iowa Republicans last week. Trump’s opponents, including Ron DeSantis, mostly focused their criticisms on President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party, failing to take advantage of opportunities to attack Trump’s retention of classified documents.
DeSantis, who has been trying to revive his stalled campaign, promised to “get the job done” and pledged to stop the “weaponisation” of the Justice Department, a reference to Trump’s legal troubles. Trump, on the other hand, offered no specific thoughts on the charges against him, despite being expected to be charged soon over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
Trump has a history of avoiding multicandidate events, questioning why he would share a stage with competitors who are trailing him in polls. However, he joined a dozen other Republican hopefuls in addressing the Lincoln Day Dinner, where he repeatedly branded DeSantis as “DeSanctus” but made no direct attacks.
Donald Trump (Via Donald Trump/Twitter)
DeSantis did not mention Trump by name, but did vow to visit all of Iowa’s 99 counties. Trump’s supporters were evident during the dinner, with many attendees wearing Make America Great Again hats and shirts. Meanwhile, some Republican opponents, such as former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchison and former Texas congressman Will Hurd, faced criticism and even boos from the crowd for their negative comments about Trump.
The event was a significant moment for the Republican hopefuls, with Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucus only a few months away. Trump’s appearance at the Iowa event was intended to underscore his popularity in the state, but it also marked an opportunity for his opponents to make their cases to party members and activists.
