Davenport, Iowa – Hitting out at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis On Monday, former President Donald Trump told the crowd at a packed rally that he would “protect Iowa ethanol from anyone who wants to destroy it.”
DeSantis, who made his first trip to the state as a potential presidential candidate on Friday, has often voted as a member of Congress to restructure or cut subsidies for farm products, including ethanol.
Using nicknames – “DeSanctis” and “Desanctimonius” – Trump said that DeSantis “fought against it at every turn, and he’s going to do it again.” Trump also told an audience of more than 2,000 that DeSantis reminded him of 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, who lost the presidential race and is now a senator from Utah.
But Trump was met with relative silence from an otherwise raucous crowd when he unleashed his barrage against DeSantis, which included barbs about votes that would have reduced benefits for recipients of Medicare and Social Security.
Iowa may reflect a disquiet among GOP voters — even some of Trump’s most ardent supporters — with Republican-on-Republican political violence at a time when a Democrat, President Joe Biden, is leading the White House. take possession of.
Many Iowa political leaders have not committed to any candidate in the still-developing region.
GOP State Representative Helena Hayes said, “I intend to meet with all the presidential candidates and engage them all.”
She said she was unsure whether she would endorse, but admitted she has some concerns about Trump’s electability if he loses in 2020.
“I do a little bit because I’ve seen a little bit in my district,” Hayes said. “It’s always because people say ‘I didn’t like his comment here’ or ‘He’s too impatient here’ or ‘He said something he shouldn’t have said.’ … Usually it’s on an individual basis from what I’ve heard in my district.”
Still, the crowd here at the Adler Theater was definitely in Trump’s camp, often rising to cheer and boo him.
“Trump is the only person who can save this country right now,” said Tracy Walters, a 52-year-old accountant from Cedar Rapids. “We know he can do it. And you know, other people, maybe they can, maybe they can’t. We don’t know.”
The former president’s biggest applause came when he spoke about hot-button social issues, such as critical race doctrine from schools and banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.
But, as he launched the education wing of his platform, he also showed he is paying attention to the way DeSantis has used the federal Covid-19 response to appeal to GOP voters.
Trump, who pushed hard for the development of vaccines as president, echoed the rhetoric of DeSantis — who last year signed a ban on the vaccine mandate.
Trump declared on Monday, “I will not give a dime to any school that has a vaccine mandate.” He promised to push other states to adopt a school-voucher system similar to the one signed into law by Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, and to directly elect school principals. In an area where the president has a more outspoken role in policy, he said breaking up the Department of Education is a “short-term goal.”
Despite the event being billed by his campaign as education-focused, Trump hit hard at agriculture and business.
Iowa is one of the nation’s top producing agricultural states, and Trump touted his record on the issue. He reiterated his call to provide payments to farmers to offset the costs of the trade war with China, reminding voters that he recently rolled back an Obama-era regulation that specified which waterways Are under Clean Water Act standards, and have promised to do more.
“Within hours of my inauguration, I will repeal every Biden policy that is brutalizing our farmers,” Trump said. He then pledged to make fertilizers cheaper and export more ethanol.
Reynolds, who appeared twice with DeSantis on Friday, introduced Trump and praised his work for the state as president.
“In short,” she said, “he fought for Iowans.”
In an interview with NBC News Friday, Reynolds, who has not endorsed a candidate, asked about possible interest in being the vice-presidential running mate for the eventual nominee.
“We’re focused on Iowa right now,” she said. “We’re going to spend a lot of time here.”
Trump, who spoke to much larger crowds at two DeSantis events last week, said he chose the indoor arena because it was too cold for one of his trademark rallies. Jason Miller, a top Trump adviser, said the audience included people from 77 of the state’s 99 counties.
