The Iowa State Fair turned into a political battlefield among GOP contenders for the Republican presidential nomination, with Governor Ron DeSantis trying to smooth over with voters a string of negative stories in the press and former President Donald Trump swooping in to grab the spotlight from his Floridian foe.
Trump supporters followed DeSantis as he worked the crowd, heckling him and blowing whistles during his “fair side chat” with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Fox News reports, noting that the fair is “a necessary stop for White House hopefuls in the state that kicks off the GOP presidential nominating calendar.”
Overhead, a plane flew a banner that read, “Be Likeable Ron!”
Trump, meanwhile, declined to chat with the Iowa governor, who he criticized earlier this summer for remaining neutral in the race.
The former president was the only GOP contender to opt out of Reynolds’ fair side chats, prompting a Fox News reporter to ask DeSantis if he thought Trump was missing out on an opportunity.
DeSantis seized the moment and came out swinging.
“I think Donald Trump’s attacks on Kim Reynolds are totally out of bounds,” DeSantis replied. “I couldn’t disagree with it any more. And she’s done nothing but do a great job. She’s never done anything to him.”
IOWA — @RonDeSantis applauds Gov. @KimReynoldsIA‘s leadership, defends her from Trump’s continued insults:
“Trump’s attacks on Kim Reynolds are totally out of bounds. I couldn’t disagree with it any more. She’s done really nothing but do a great job. She’s never done anything to… pic.twitter.com/Qxo2uqWVug
— DeSantis War Room (@DeSantisWarRoom) August 12, 2023
“That’s just how he operates — to attack one of the best governors in the country,” he continued. “And Iowa’s had a tremendous run of success here. The legislators had a lot to do with it, but, clearly, Kim really led the way, I think in ways that have been exemplary.”
“So I’m a big fan,” DeSantis said. “And I think, as Republicans, we should be thankful and proud to see other Republicans doing well, particularly in a state like Iowa, which has not always been considered a red state. Just ten years ago, it was more of a swing state. She has had a lot to do with changing that.”
“So, I think I disagree with the attacks against her,” he stated. “I think he’s way out of bounds, and at the end of the day, I’m glad that Kim Reynolds is at the helm here in the state of Iowa.”
And Reynolds isn’t the only one Trump is declining to acknowledge.
According to Fox News:
Trump has not committed to taking the stage at the first Republican presidential nomination debate, a Fox News-hosted showdown August 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He didn’t answer when Fox News asked him on Saturday at the state fair whether he’ll attend the debate. And the former president said a few days ago that he won’t sign a Republican National Committee loyalty pledge in order to qualify for the face-off.
DeSantis had thoughts on that, too.
“We have signed the pledge to support the nominee because ultimately the mission of reversing the country’s decline is bigger than any one person,” he told reporters, according to Fox News. “I think I’ll be the nominee, and we’ll get the job done, but at the end of the day, you don’t take your ball and go home. It’s not just about you. You’ve got to be willing to stand up and support the team.”
“Someone’s not willing to do that,” he said, referring to Trump, “that just shows you they’re running – their campaign’s more about them than about the broader public and the American people. . . . I think every candidate should agree to support the nominee.”
But if Trump’s reception at the fair is any indication, his supporters are just fine with the way the former president, who holds a double-digit lead over DeSantis, is running his embattled campaign.
President Trump received the warmest welcome in the history of the Iowa State Fair as thousands of Patriots, as far as the eye can see, gathered together to greet him.
This is unlike anything the world has ever seen before. pic.twitter.com/jDQSTWxTQY
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) August 12, 2023
“Trump was accompanied by nine members of Florida’s congressional delegation who are backing him,” Fox News reports, “in an intentional dig at DeSantis.”
DeSantis, who was “accompanied by a dozen Iowa state lawmakers who are backing him,” dismissed Trump’s show of force.
“I think it’s fine to bring folks in from Washington but I think Iowans are more concerned about people in their communities and Iowans that they know and work with and go to church with and see,” he said. “I think we have 40 legislators from the Iowa House and Senate combined. I don’t think anybody’s had that many, certainly not this early in a caucus process.”
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Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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