Trump Strikes Unifying Tone, Praises Competitors in Iowa Victory Speech

Former President and Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump arrives at a watch party during the 2024 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 15, 2024. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump struck a unifying tone in his victory speech after a stunning and historic win in the Iowa caucuses.

With 97 percent of results in, President Trump won a resounding victory by nearly 30 points. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in second place with about 21 percent support at the time of publication. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley came in third with about 19 percent.

Until tonight, the largest threshold of victory in an Iowa caucus was 12.8 percent—a figure President Trump has far exceeded.

The victory, called for President Trump at 8:32 p.m. ET—just 32 minutes after caucuses began—vindicated polls that have for months shown President Trump as the clear front-runner in the GOP pack.

Speaking after his win, President Trump struck a unifying tone, complimenting his competitors.

“I really think this is time now for everybody in our country to come together,” President Trump said. “We want to come together. Whether it’s Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, it would be so nice if we could come together and straighten out the world.”

He added, “I want to make that a very big part of our message. We’re going to come together.”

President Trump also praised his competition for the nomination.

Speaking of Mr. DeSantis and Ms. Haley, “I think they both actually did very well. I really do.”

President Trump also congratulated biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy on his respectable 8 percent support.

“I also want to congratulate Vivek because he did a hell of a job,” President Trump said. “He came from zero and he’s got a big percent, probably 8 percent.

“That’s an amazing job. They all did. They’re very smart, very smart people, very capable people,” President Trump said.

President Trump also mentioned his former presidential contender and rival, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, indicating that Mr. Burgum would have a role in his cabinet should he win reelection.

Mr. Burgum, a former candidate for the Republican nomination, dropped out of the race after failing to gain traction last month. He saved his endorsement of President Trump for the last 24-hours heading into the Iowa caucuses.

President Trump suggested that he’s going to return the favor and make Mr. Burgum “a very important piece of the administration.”

Mr. Ramaswamy dropped out and immediately endorsed President Trump after failing to achieve the upset he had hoped for.

The night revealed that President Trump remains the Republican front-runner in the race for the White House, solidifying his chances of becoming the ultimate nominee.