Trump Overshadows DeSantis and GOP Field at Iowa State Fair

DES MOINES, Iowa—This state’s fair has staged locomotive collisions, hosted high-wire walkers, held wartime battle re-enactments and, in recent days, been home to a prizewinning boar weighing 1,012 pounds. On Saturday, Donald Trump arrived. 

The former president was the center of attention, even on a day when he shared the fairgrounds with four others also seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He worked especially hard to overshadow Ron DeSantis, his current top challenger for the GOP nomination, arriving shortly after the Florida governor and stealing crowd and media attention.

Iowa starts the Republican nomination process with its Jan. 15 caucuses, and the state’s importance looms large because there’s a belief among party operatives that, if Trump can’t be slowed in the Hawkeye State, he’s likely to become the nominee.

Trump’s enthusiastic reception came despite unprecedented legal woes. He is facing three criminal indictments—for improper handling of classified documents, a hush money payment to a porn star and conspiring to undo his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden.

A fourth could come in Georgia next week concerning his alleged attempts to reverse his 2020 loss in the state. A reporter on Saturday asked if he would be open to a plea deal. “We don’t take plea deals because I did nothing wrong,” Trump said. “It’s called election interference.”

Even before stepping onto the fairgrounds, Trump’s Boeing 757 circled overhead several times. Fairgoers pointed to the sky as the jet flew above, just as DeSantis was finishing his shift flipping meat at the Iowa Pork Producers Association building.

A few minutes earlier, a smaller plane buzzed over the fairgrounds with a trailing banner that read “Be Likable, Ron!” in a bid to draw attention to the governor’s often combative and cool nature. Supporters of the former president also chanted “we love Trump” as DeSantis took his turn at the grill. Trump made multiple stops, attracting such large crowds under a blazing late-summer sun that the mass of humanity frequently blocked foot and motor traffic.

At the former president’s side were nine members of the Florida congressional delegation backing Trump over DeSantis, a dig at the governor’s lack of congressional support back home. DeSantis, showing his Iowa support, brought roughly a dozen state legislators backing him.

“The other candidates came here—they had like six people,” Trump said, wildly understating the crowds gathered for DeSantis. The former president also bragged about the size of the fair audience and his polling in the state. A New York Times/Siena College poll released earlier this month showed Trump leading DeSantis in Iowa, 44% to 20%, a narrower margin than nationally.

“We’ll be back, “ Trump vowed, “we don’t want to take any chances.” His campaign said it spent $20,000 on food and drink at the fair, donated to attendees.

Trump’s actions were reminiscent of 2015, when he showed up on the same day as Hillary Clinton. Iowa, at that time, was also the first nomination-voting state for Democrats and she was then that party’s front-runner. Trump overshadowed her and other candidates on the fairgrounds by offering children rides on his helicopter.

Trump, DeSantis and their campaigns have been increasingly combative in recent days. A group backing DeSantis this week unveiled negative ads against Trump, and aides from both sides have been bitterly feuding online.

DeSantis, whose campaign has been making leadership and other changes in recent weeks to try to reverse sagging poll numbers, spent two full days campaigning in Iowa ahead of the fair as he works through his goal of visiting all of the state’s 99 counties.

On Saturday, DeSantis told reporters Trump has failed the party by declining to sign a loyalty pledge to support the party’s eventual nominee. He also defended Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Trump has been critical of her, a questionable move given her popularity among the state’s conservatives. His critique was centered on her decision to remain neutral ahead of the caucuses rather than endorse his candidacy. A new DeSantis ad seeks to exploit the controversy.

Reynolds invited every candidate to a friendly question-and-answer session she has dubbed “fair-side chats.” Almost all GOP presidential candidates accepted the invitation except Trump. 

Other GOP hopefuls on the Iowa fairgrounds Saturday included businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and business executive and pastor Ryan Binkley.

Author Marianne Williamson and environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., two long-shot Democrats challenging President Biden for their party’s nomination, also sought the massive media spotlight Saturday on the fairgrounds with appearances.

DeSantis had his wife and three children along for his day at the fair, with his two daughters wearing matching red bows in their hair. “Go easy on us,” he told his kids as the family prepared to load onto the bumper cars ride.

As DeSantis moved through the grounds, Trump’s campaign handed out literature. One side of the leaflet highlighted DeSantis’s past opposition to corn-based ethanol, while the other showcased what Trump says are his accomplishments for the state.

Write to John McCormick at [email protected] and Alex Leary at [email protected]