Trump scores record-setting win in Iowa caucuses, inching closer to presidential nomination
US Correspondent Dan Rivers has the latest from Iowa as the former president solidifies his place as frontrunner in the race for the presidential nomination
Former President Donald Trump scored a record-setting win in the Iowa caucuses on Monday, a victory that affirmed his grip on the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
In what was the lowest-turnout caucus in a quarter-century, participants endured life-threatening cold and dangerous driving conditions to meet in hundreds of schools, churches and community centers across the state.
But those who ventured out delivered a roughly 30-point win for Trump that smashed the record for a contested Iowa Republican caucus with a margin of victory exceeding Bob Dole's nearly 13-percentage-point victory in 1988.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis finished a distant second, just ahead of former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley.
The results left Trump with a tighter grip on the GOP nomination, though it could take several more months for anyone to formally become the party’s standard bearer.
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The magnitude of Trump’s victory, however, posed significant questions for both Mr DeSantis and Ms Haley.
Neither candidate appeared poised to exit the race, though they leave Iowa struggling to claim making much progress in trying to become Trump’s strongest challenger.
Having repeatedly vowed vengeance against his political opponents in recent months, Trump offered a message of unity in his victory speech.
“We want to come together, whether it’s Republican or Democrat or liberal or conservative,” he said. “We’re going to come together. It’s going to happen soon.”
The GOP contest moves swiftly to New Hampshire, which will hold the first-in-the-nation primary on January 23.
A shrinking field will compete there after conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy suspended his campaign after a disappointing fourth place finish and endorsed Trump.
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DeSantis first heads to South Carolina on Tuesday, a conservative stronghold where the February 24 contest could prove pivotal.
“Because of your support, in spite of all of what they threw at us, we got our ticket punched out of Iowa,” DeSantis told supporters.
Haley plans to compete vigorously in New Hampshire, where she hopes to be more successful with the state’s independent voters.
“When you look at how well we’re doing in New Hampshire and in South Carolina and beyond, I can safely say tonight Iowa made this Republican primary a two-person race,” she said.
In a preview of a remarkable balancing act Trump may have to manage in the months ahead, he was expected to be in court in New York on Tuesday.
A jury is poised to consider whether he should pay additional damages to a columnist who last year won a $5 million jury award against Trump for sex abuse and defamation. It's just one of multiple legal challenges facing the former president.
After visiting the court, Trump will fly to New Hampshire to hold a rally Tuesday evening.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner based on an analysis of early returns as well as results of AP VoteCast, of more than 1,500 voters who said they planned to take part in the caucuses. Both showed Trump with an insurmountable lead.
Trump showed significant strength among Iowa's urban, small-town and rural communities, according to AP VoteCast.
He also performed well with evangelical Christians and those without a college degree.
And a majority of caucus-goers said they identify with Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.
One relative weakness for Trump comes in the suburbs, where only about 4 in 10 supported him.
Iowa has been an uneven predictor of who will ultimately lead Republicans into the general election. George W. Bush’s 2000 victory was the last time a Republican candidate won in Iowa and went on to become the party’s nominee.
But Trump’s success tells a remarkable story of a Republican Party unwilling or unable to move on from a flawed front-runner.
He lost to Biden in 2020 after fueling near-constant chaos while in the White House, culminating with his supporters carrying out a deadly attack on the US Capitol.
In total, he faces 91 felony charges across four criminal cases.
The US Supreme Court is weighing whether states have the ability to block Trump from the ballot for his role in sparking the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol.
And he’s facing criminal trials in Washington and Atlanta for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
But Trump’s legal challenges appear to have done little damage to his reputation.
Many of his supporters view the charges through a political lens.
About three-quarters of Iowans responding to AP VoteCast said the charges against Trump are political attempts to undermine him, rather than legitimate attempts to investigate important issues.
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