Donald Trump addressed the people of Iowa on October 29, 2023, and greeted the people at Sioux City, Iowa, by mistakenly referring to another city—Sioux Falls, in South Dakota—instead, reported The Hill . However, even though he flubbed it, the Republican candidate declared he would be the ‘victor’ in the upcoming Iowa caucus to be held in January 2024.
On Sunday, the presidential hopeful took the stage and greeted a city more than eighty miles north and over the South Dakota state line, Sioux Falls. Nonetheless, Trump threw caution to the wind when it came to ‘overstating expectations’ and spoke highly about his chances in the next election. Trump greeted everyone by saying, “Hello to a place where we’ve done very well, Sioux Falls. Thank you very much.” However, it didn’t occur to him immediately that he erred, and only several minutes later, he corrected himself.
Despite this glaring faux pas, the fact is that the polls do showcase Trump’s popularity in the state, andthe Republican front-runner told his audience something similar in the ornate Orpheum Theater. Trump declared, “I go around saying, of course, we’re going to win Iowa.” He continued, “My people said you cannot assume that.” But then the business mogul asserted, “There’s no way Iowa is voting against Trump.” Alongside, Trump cited the example of economic benefits to farm states from the tariffs his administration imposed on China.
So far, Trump has done eight state campaigns in Iowa. His strategy is to focus more on the general election voters. The 77-year-old has maintained a commanding lead in Iowa polls, beating his Republican rivals Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis by nearly 30 points. Although Haley is moving up to a tie with DeSantis, it seems Trump supporters have already chosen their ‘favorite’ between the candidates ahead of the upcoming election season, per NBC News.
In September 2023, the former President also spoke at the ‘Team Trump Iowa Commit to Caucus Event’ hosted at the Jackson County Fairgrounds in Maquoketa, Iowa. At the time, the focus of his speech remained on immigration and the border. He lauded his immigration policies while at the White House, per CNN.
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Despite all this, the former President is neck-deep in his legal battles, including 91 criminal charges across four indictments: the Georgia election interference case, the classified documents case, the January 6 capitol riots case, and the hush money case over his alleged relationship with adult star Stormy Daniels.
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Still, despite the mounting troubles, he’s accelerated his 2024 presidential campaigns while occasionally locking horns with the legal system and Judge Arthur Engoron (overseeing his civil fraud case) for his ‘disdainful’ remarks and inflammatory rhetoric. As the presidential race heats up, there is no denying that Trump’s popularity is seemingly at an all-time high, with Ann Selzer, who conducted the poll, saying, “He’s still the dominant player in the field, and his standing has improved from August,” per Reuters .