TRUMP COUNTRY
Trump vows to ‘take our country back’ as he storms to victory in Iowa caucus cementing place as Republican frontrunner
The Republican presidential hopefuls will now set their sights on New Hampshire
DONALD Trump has vowed to "take back our country" after he stormed to victory in the Republican Party’s caucus in Iowa overnight.
The brash tycoon comprehensively defeated rivals Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley in the first GOP election test of the year.
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Trump won 51% of the vote and is on track to pick up 20 of the 40 delegates that were up for grabs. He is also set to win 98 of the 99 counties in Iowa.
Meanwhile, DeSantis – the current Governor of Florida – and Haley – the former US ambassador to the UN – are languishing behind.
DeSantis is on 21.2%, while Haley is polling at 19.1%.
Trump is the clear frontrunner to win the GOP nomination and told his diehard supporters that he will take back the country from Joe Biden.
“The big night is going to be in November when we take back our country,” Trump vowed.
Trump was flanked by sons Eric and Don Jr. as he reveled in his success in Iowa.
But the ex-commander-in-chief called for Republicans to unite ahead of November’s election.
“We’re going to come together. It’s going to happen soon," he said.
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Trump congratulated DeSantis and Haley and paid tribute to Vivek Ramaswamy, who suspended his campaign after finishing in fourth place.
"He came from zero… that’s an amazing job,” Trump said.
Ramaswamy has since endorsed Trump to be president after suspending his campaign.
"There’s no path for me to be the next president absent things that we don’t want to see happen in this country," he said.
Speaking after The Associated Press called his win, Trump wrote on his Truth Social account, "THANK YOU IOWA, I LOVE YOU ALL!!!"
He later took to the stage at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, where he was met by cheers from the crowd.
As well as thanking the "great people of Iowa," the former president gushed over his family, paying touching tribute to his wife Melania's late mother.
A victory in Monday night's caucus does not guarantee Trump, who held a commanding double-digit lead over his fellow GOP foes for months, the Republican presidential nomination.
It does, however, give the former president bragging rights over his opponents.
SECOND PLACE
Temperatures plunged to minus eight degrees Fahrenheit in Iowa, leaving voters trudging through snow to polling points.
With Trump romping through the competition, all eyes were on DeSantis and Haley, who have been campaigning for second place for months.
DeSantis will finish in a distant second in the Iowa caucuses, ahead of Haley and behind Trump, The Associated Press determined shortly after 11 pm ET on Monday night.
DeSantis looks on track to finish second, leading Haley by more than 2,000 votes.
Addressing voters after the result was called, DeSantis beamed, "We've got our ticket punched out of Iowa."
Meanwhile, Haley said, “When you look at how well we’re doing in New Hampshire, in South Carolina, and beyond, I can safely say that Iowa made this Republican primary a two-person race.”
Haley is only ahead of Trump in one county, Johnson County, according to the latest results.
One vote splits Trump and Haley in Johnson County with more than 95% of the precincts in.
She was met by cheers as she addressed a crowd at the Horizon Events Center.
“If you want to move forward with no more vendettas, if you want to move forward with a sense of hope, join us in this caucus," she said.
“I ask for your vote. And I promise you, I will make sure every day I focus on what it takes to make you proud.”
We've got our ticket punched out of Iowa.
Ron DeSantis
During his Ione campaign rally over the weekend, Trump blasted Haley, DeSantis, and his enemies who "crave to destroy the MAGA movement."
"These caucuses are your personal chance to score the ultimate victory over all the liars, cheaters, thugs, perverts, frauds, freaks, creeps, and other quite nice people," Trump told the audience in Indianola, Iowa, on Sunday.
"The Washington swamps has done everything in its power to take away your voice. But tomorrow is your time to turn on them and to say and speak your mind and to vote."
The former president threw stiff jabs at his top rival in the race, Haley, telling supporters that she was "not up to the job."
'NOT UP TO THE JOB'
"The only people getting rich right now are Joe Biden's donors and Nikki Haley's donors," Trump said.
"She happens to be a globalist, by the way. I know her very well. She's not up to the job. I can tell you."
Meanwhile, Ramaswamy's Trump endorsement comes in spite of the former president publicly attacking him for the first time.
"Vivek started his campaign as a great supporter, 'the best President in generations,' etc. Unfortunately, now all he does is disguise his support in the form of deceitful tactics," Trump said on his Truth Social platform ahead of the Iowa vote.
"Very sly, but a vote for Vivek is a vote for the 'other side' - don't get duped by this. Vote for TRUMP, don't waste your vote! Vivek is not MAGA."
Without criticizing Trump, Ramaswamy told reporters on Sunday that the former president's attack was an "unfortunate move by his campaign advisers."
"He probably got bad advice, to be honest with you," Ramaswamy said.
"I don't think friendly fire within our 'America First' movement is helpful, and I'm not going to hold it against him."
Ramaswamy, who sat in fourth place in most GOP primary polls, had previously guaranteed to stay in the presidential race until November.
"I'm gonna guarantee to stay in this race through November of this year when we win the election, through January of next year when I'm inaugurated as your next president, through January of 2033 when we leave that White House after two full terms," he previously told Dispatch.
In the 2016 Iowa caucus, Trump finished second behind Texas Senator Ted Cruz before cruising to the GOP presidential vote and winning the presidency.
Unlike in Iowa, Trump has already scheduled a January 20 rally in Manchester days before the caucus.
But before he takes to the campaign stump, Trump will be heading to New York for the start of his civil damages trial against the author E Jean Carroll.
In May 2023, Trump was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation in the civil suit.
Haley appears to be gaining on the former president in New Hampshire, trimming Trump's lead in the state's primary race, according to a CNN poll.
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About 39% of voters in The Granite State back Trump, while Haley's support continues to gain steam at 32%, per the CNN poll.
Trump leads in New Hampshire by 13 points on average.
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