As the Iowa caucuses get closer, Donald Trump is changing tactics. He is campaigning more aggressively in the Hawkeye State to eliminate any chance that one of his primary challengers could catch up to him there.
He is also changing his messaging and other campaign appearances to appeal more to the voters in the general election who he will need to win over if he wins the nomination.
The former president gave a speech on Wednesday at a “Team Trump Iowa Commit to Caucus Event” held at the Maquoketa, Iowa, Jackson County Fairgrounds. After that, he traveled to Dubuque, another city in Eastern Iowa, to make his speech.
In his speech in Dubuque, Trump mainly discussed immigration and the border. Trump mainly concentrated on criticizing President Joe Biden for what he called the “nation-wrecking catastrophe” on the southern border, referring to it as “an invasion.” He did occasionally call Florida Governor Ron DeSantis out.
The former president also praised the immigration measures he implemented while in office, claiming that he switched from “catch-and-release” to “detain and deport.” Additionally, he claimed that Mexico paid for the wall because they provided free border patrol agents to the US.
According to Trump, if reelected, his administration would use “the Eisenhower Model” and conduct the greatest domestic deportation operation in American history, using the Alien Enemies Act to deport any known or suspected members of gangs, drug cartels, or other criminal organizations from the country.
Without providing any further details, Trump declared that his administration would build upon his travel ban and bring it back. He also claimed that it would prevent “communists and Marxists” from entering the country.
His seventh trip to the state, which is far less than several of his GOP competitors have made, will take place this week. Trump recently attended a football game between Iowa State and Iowa and made an appearance at the Iowa State Fair in August, along with a number of other contenders. Along with smaller gatherings with community activists and religious leaders, he also hosted two Iowa town halls that were taped by Sean Hannity, a Fox News anchor.
“Leaving no room for error”
Trump’s stepped-up campaigning in the state coincides with MAGA Inc., the super PAC supporting Trump’s presidential campaign, stepping up its efforts. Last week, the super PAC spent more than $700,000 to add to its exposure on broadcast and cable in significant Iowa media markets. The majority of the group’s advertising money has been used up to this point for cable network national campaigns.
National surveys show that Trump has a sizable lead over the rest of the GOP primary field for 2024, but his campaign is focusing more heavily on Iowa in an effort to “squeeze off the oxygen” for his opponents, a Trump adviser previously told CNN. The former president will visit the state four more times in October after his visit on Wednesday.
“The former president Trump’s campaign is taking no chances in this situation. According to Jimmy Centers, a seasoned Republican operative, “They feel as though they have Gov. DeSantis as well as others on the ropes, and they’re trying to put their boot on the necks of the group alternatives to the former president.” “Unlike in 2016—the most recent competitive caucus the president ran in—where their campaign lacked an apparatus and an organization, their tactic was essentially to park a Trump-branded bus and see who shows up to it to try to sign them and to hold large rallies,” the author writes.
“In this instance, they run a much more reliable operation. They are reaching out to the county party. They are providing caucus training to their supporters all around the state. Additionally, they are actively organizing their people at the precinct level. According to the most recent surveys, they are a juggernaut and are ahead by a few dozen points.
Centers did, however, issue a warning that some Iowans are “kicking tires” on an alternative.
“A lane for a different option is available. No other option has grasped the opportunity at this point in the game, which is a problem, Centers said.