Trump Kicks Off Iowa ‘Blitz,’ Looking to Clinch First GOP Contest

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to guest at a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa on Dec. 19, 2023. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump is lining up his 2024 campaign “blitz,” as he promised previously.

On Dec. 21, the former president announced that he would make two back-to-back appearances, both on Jan. 5,  in northern Iowa.

First, he is set for a 4 p.m. speech at Dordt University, a Christian college campus in tiny Sioux Center, a city near the state’s western boundary.

A “commit-to-caucus” rally in that small city of about 8,500 people will serve as “the kickoff of a larger blitz across the state of Iowa,” his campaign said in a news release.

Then he will head about 150 miles northeast to Mason City, population 27,000, where he’s slated to make remarks at 7:30 p.m. at the North Iowa Events Center.

Those two events are scheduled just 10 days before the first-in-nation Iowa caucuses, which set the tone for the 2024 presidential nominating contests in other states.

President Trump has made far fewer in-person visits to Iowa during this election cycle than some of his fellow GOP presidential hopefuls.

But behind the scenes, he is benefiting from legions of volunteers who have been working to cultivate relationships with voters. And the former president has been engaging in a more targeted campaign, his surrogates say.

“This campaign has the best organization I’ve ever seen,” Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird told the former president’s supporters at a rally in Coralville, Iowa, on Dec. 13.

Iowa Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, known to give impassioned speeches advocating for President Trump, told The Epoch Times that the former president’s public appearances invigorate his existing base and help him sow more seeds of support.

“These events help us identify new voters, and also voters that are predisposed to support President Trump,” he said. “But unlike most politicians, we don’t just come to an event, speak, and then go home.”

Sowing Seeds in Iowa

Attendees are asked to fill out a “commit-to-caucus” form, a nonbonding pledge to go to their local caucus and vote for the former president.

“We then follow up with folks. We get them to caucus trainings. We text them. We email them ... we get them to like our our social media pages,” Mr. Kaufmann said.

Volunteers and campaign staffers work to cultivate a loyal following of people who “will come and caucus for him, regardless of weather or circumstances, on January 15,” he said.

On that Monday night, citizens from nearly 1,700 precincts will gather throughout the state and begin a meeting at 7 p.m.

After speeches and discussions, caucus-goers cast votes for their preferred presidential candidate—and the votes are counted in their presence. Volunteers from the Republican Party run these events, unlike primary elections, which government officials run.

President Trump’s campaign has designated spokespersons and meeting leaders for the caucuses. Each one has been issued a white hat with metallic-gold embroidered letters, “Trump Caucus Captain.”

A Trump caucus captain, Nathaniel Gavronsky, told The Epoch Times about his role on Caucus Night.

Nathaniel Gavronsky of Wayne County, Iowa, wears a "Trump Caucus Captain" hat outside a commit-to-caucus rally for former President Donald Trump in Coralville, Iowa, on Dec. 13, 2023. Janice Hisle/The Epoch Times

“I am literally going to load up two vans, and I am going to go around picking up all my neighbors,” he said. “We’re going to load up a bunch of signs, a bunch of pens, and we are going to get our little corner of the building set up for all four precincts in Wayne County.”

Mr. Gavronsky said he will give a short testimonial in support of the former president; he predicts  President Trump will draw 55 percent of the votes in Wayne County.

And during her remarks in Coralville, Ms. Bird predicted, “He’s gonna win big” in the statewide contest.

President Trump told supporters in Coralville and elsewhere: Winning by a large statewide margin on Iowa Caucus Night would be important for his presidential run. It would solidify his position as the Republican frontrunner and validate his commanding lead in opinion polls.

Biden Defeat is Ultimate Goal

The former president says that a big Iowa win could compel other GOP contenders to drop out of the race.

This, he said, would consolidate donors’ contributions to aid Republicans’ ultimate quest: Beating the incumbent, President Joe Biden–or any possible Democrat replacement for him–in the November 2024 general election.

In its recent messaging, the Trump campaign has started focusing more attacks on President Biden and contrasting him with the Republican frontrunner.

The news release announcing the Sioux Center rally said: “President Trump accomplished more for Iowa than any administration in history. Unlike Joe Biden, President Trump protected Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses.”

Iowa is one of the nation’s leading agricultural states, and President Trump has repeatedly reminded Iowans of actions he took to support farmers, including advocating for corn-based ethanol fuel.

He also “slashed the estate tax, or death tax, to allow Iowa farmers to keep farms in the family,” his campaign said.

Winnowing the Field

Before President Trump can face off against President Biden, he must win the Republican Party’s nomination and overcome the numerous court challenges he is facing.

The Republican presidential field originally included 13 “noteworthy” GOP contenders including President Trump, according to Ballotpedia.

Now only six of those candidates remain in the race, and President Trump is leading the pack.

He was holding a 52-percent lead over his nearest challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in the RealClearPolitics (RCP) average on Dec. 21.

While defending himself against numerous court cases threatening his livelihood, his freedom and his right to seek the presidency,  his polling lead has mostly remained steady or increased.

However, President Trump’s polling lead is smaller in at least two early primary states.

In Iowa, he was leading Mr. DeSantis by 32 points–still considered a wide berth. Notably, Mr. DeSantis and Ohio businessman Vivek Ramaswamy have both visited all 99 Iowa counties. Mr. Ramaswamy is on pace to finish a second round of all those counties. But neither man has seen a noticeable bump in polling based on those efforts.

The Trump campaign says the former president’s “Make America Great Again” message, which he has touted since his first presidential run in 2015-16, continues to resonate with Iowans now, amid his third presidential run.

In New Hampshire, the Republican primary contest appears more competitive. There, a narrower gap of 21.5 percentage points separates the former president from his nearest competitor. And, in that state, Mr. DeSantis has been knocked down two notches from the second-place slot that he held consistently during the early stages of the 2024 campaign.

RCP’s figures for the Granite State showed President Trump drawing 46 percent support, followed by Mrs. Haley with 25 percent; former New Jersey Christie, 10.5 percent; Mr. DeSantis, 9.5 percent; and Mr. Ramaswamy, 6 percent. New Hampshire holds the first-in-nation primary election on Tuesday, Jan. 23.

Rounding out the field of the “noteworthy” candidates are two men with lower polling performance: former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson and Ryan Binkley, a Texas businessman and pastor.