NEWTON, Iowa–Former President Donald Trump acknowledged on the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach that the aftereffects of that day continue to reverberate.
President Trump made no specific reference to the anniversary during a two-hour speech in central Iowa, nor during an hourlong speech in Clinton, in the eastern part of the state.
However, his supporters told The Epoch Times that the anniversary was on their minds as the former president addressed Jan. 6-related issues and other topics.
Speaking to a capacity crowd of more than 350 people at the Des Moines Area Community College Conference Center, President Trump said leftists wrongfully labeled Jan. 6 an “insurrection.”
That term would more accurately apply to Antifa rioters who burned cities, took over Portland, Oregon, and looted stores in 2020, he said.
“When you talk about ‘insurrection’ ... that’s the real deal.”
He also decried the “rigged” election of 2020, leading to President Joe Biden’s being declared the winner—an outcome that President Trump and many of his supporters continue to dispute.
President Trump said, “[Federal agencies] did something to me that was unthinkable: They indicted me because I fought against a corrupt election.
“It’ll get worse and worse,” he predicted. “They‘ll go after our congressmen. They’ll go after our senators. That’s what they’re doing. They weaponize government like never before.”
Now, amid a 12-day campaign blitz, President Trump and his surrogates are aiming to ensure a big turnout for him in the state’s first-in-nation caucuses on Jan. 15.
As of the night of Jan. 6, he had completed four rallies in two days, including his appearance in Clinton, Iowa. He refused to cancel that event even though travel issues, rain, and snow caused a 3 1/2-hour delay as he made the 150-mile trip from Newton to Clinton. But the Clinton crowd, which filled a gymnasium and some overflow rooms, didn’t budge, live TV reports showed.
Although opinion polls show President Trump outpacing other contenders by large margins, he’s counting on Iowans to turn that theoretical lead into a genuine one. He has repeatedly told supporters that the nation and the world will be watching.
Three other Republican candidates—Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and Ohio businessman Vivek Ramaswamy—are also crisscrossing the state in hopes of scoring an upset victory on Caucus Night.
The Iowa caucus winner doesn’t always go on to win the Republican nomination or the presidency. But candidates still count on a victory in the Hawkeye State as a springboard to other presidential-preference contests.
On Jan. 6, President Trump drew loud cheers and applause when he suggested that he’s more resilient than his fellow Republican presidential hopefuls.
“You think anybody else can get up here and speak to you all day, and get indicted four times?” he asked.
Several of President Trump’s supporters told The Epoch Times that the events of Jan. 6, 2021, hold meaning for them. They also said they want to return President Trump to the White House because they are confident he will remedy illegal immigration, rising inflation, and other woes that they blame on President Biden.
Hours before he spoke on behalf of President Trump at the rally in Clinton, state Rep. Mark Cisneros told The Epoch Times: “Jan. 6 is just a reminder of why this particular presidential campaign is important ... the Biden administration is showing how dangerous they are to the American people.”
Mr. Cisneros said he considers some of the people prosecuted in connection with Jan. 6 to be “political prisoners.”
He also said that he believes that President Trump was the rightful winner of the 2020 election–a declaration that he is loath to say aloud because “it is such a foundational part of our Republic.”
“If someone can cheat the system in this way, and it’s obvious, that is scary to me,” Mr. Cisneros, a father of six who lives in Muscatine, Iowa, said. “That’s scary for the future of the Republic, for the future of my family.”
However, he also said, “When I see people participating in caucus, when I see people show up to meetings, that’s where I’m encouraged.”
Donna De Moss, 72, of Pella, Iowa, said she will be participating in her caucus. After attending a Trump rally for the first time on Jan. 6, she left Newton feeling energized.
“It was very informative, very uplifting,” she said.
She and a fellow Pella resident, Arlene VanZante, both said they were two-time Trump voters.
“I appreciate his love for our country, above all else,” Ms. VanZante said.
Both women also said they were aware of the Jan. 6 anniversary. Ms. VanZante said she watched The Epoch Times’ new documentary, “The Real Story of January 6 Part 2,” which reveals how the lives of Jan. 6 defendants have been upended.
“It made me want to cry, to see what happened to those people,” Ms. VanZante said.
Gary Leffler, 62, of West Des Moines, who posed outside the Newton venue with a tractor sporting a decorative Trump paint job, said he attended the Jan. 6 protest. Descriptions of the event are “often misconstrued,” he said.
Before Mr. Leffler learned that violence broke out at the Capitol, it had been “the most patriotic day” of his life, he said. News reports rarely seem to mention that the vast majority of people “were there for the right reasons to exercise their First Amendment rights,” he said, adding that “a few knuckleheads” wreaked havoc.
After hearing President Trump’s speech, Mr. Leffler said the rally seemed to have the intended effect.
“People were excited,” he said, likening President Trump’s remarks to a football coach’s halftime pep talk.
“That was what today was, and it was good. I mean, these people are ramped up,” Mr. Leffler said.
Mr. Leffler said he has witnessed many Trump speeches and that the former president “went off script” more than Mr. Leffler had seen. He also said that the audience seemed to thoroughly enjoy the unpredictable exchanges with the former president.
A Trump caucus captain in his precinct, Mr. Leffler said he listens to a lot of people. Based on what he’s hearing from them, he predicts President Trump will win the caucuses.
When President Trump was in office, “he restored the American Dream for young people,” Mr. Leffler said. With low interest rates, low fuel prices, and low grocery prices, “it was really a great time for American families.”
“I think the worst thing that’s happened in the last three years is the dream got stolen from those people,” he said.
“I hope that President Trump gets reelected. I hope he goes in there and reverses a lot of this nonsense and gets our country back on track. I think America is hungry for his leadership again.”
