WEST PALM BEACH, Florida — Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign wants first-time Iowa caucus members out in force next month in an effort to wipe out the GOP race and end the Republican nomination contest once it begins.
The plan — which is unique to the Hawkeye State and which campaign officials have dubbed “10 for Trump” — involves replacing the 77-year-old, or “caucus captain,” targeting 10 new caucus members each by Jan. 15.
Sometimes, the former president personally calls his supporters to convince them to brave the Midwestern cold and support him, a senior campaign official told reporters Monday at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla.
According to the RealClearPolitics average, Trump leads his closest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, by 32 percentage points in Iowa.
Since 1972, no Republican candidate has won a contested caucus by more than 12 percentage points, the margin by which Bob Dole defeated Pat Robertson in 1988.
Former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters during a visit to the Vande Voort family farm, Sunday, Oct. 1. 2023, in Leighton, Iowa. AP
“If we go on the record, we think it sends a strong message,” said a Trump campaign official.
Of the former president’s primary rivals, the 45-year-old DeSantis has devoted the most time and energy to Iowa, visiting all 99 counties in the state and moving dozens of staff there from Florida.
The governor’s campaign has insisted that an unlikely caucus win would solidify the race as a straight shootout between Trump and DeSantis.
Meanwhile, former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said only that she needs to “put on a good show” in the caucuses, as polls show her closing the gap on Trump in New Hampshire ahead of the state’s Jan. 23 primary.
Supporters of former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attend a “commitment to caucus” event at the Whiskey Bar in Ankeny, Iowa on Dec. 2. Reuters
The former president also spoke to reporters after a round of golf on Monday, saying a big win in Iowa would confirm his “strength.”
“It will be a message of strength and respect. We want to be respected around the world,” Trump said, adding that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had said enemies like Russia and China “are afraid of Trump.”
“The other thing I want people to think about is unity,” he added. “It may sound strange but we, before the COVID came, we united. Everyone succeeds. It’s the most successful period we’ve ever had in this country.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
