The annual Iowa–Iowa State football game has been overshadowed by a political football game, as former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis compete for points with Republican voters ahead of key caucuses in the Hawkeye State in January.
The two 2024 candidates gathered at Jack Trice Stadium Saturday to watch Iowa State University square off against the University of Iowa and showcase a clash of styles.
DeSantis watched the matchup with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-Ia.), whom Trump publicly chided earlier this year for getting too cozy with his Florida foe.
Reynolds has remained neutral so far, but has sided with DeSantis in several key games in Iowa, much to Trump’s chagrin.
Meanwhile, Trump watched the game from a private stadium suite, but was seen before the game signing baseball caps from his fans and throwing footballs into the tailgating crowd.
Ahead of the game, Trump was seen dropping into the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity house, signing baseball caps, tossing footballs into tailgating groups and flipping burgers in front of reporters and cheering students.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis attends the football game between Iowa State and the University of Iowa in Ames on September 9, 2023.Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
DeSantis takes a selfie with a fan in the game’s stands.USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Never Back Down, the super PAC backing DeSantis, cut online campaign ads cheering Trump for allowing transgender women to compete in beauty pageants he previously owned.
Additionally, an airplane flew over the stadium with a banner reading “Where’s Melania,” which berated Trump for his wife’s absence from the campaign trail.
The banner marks revenge after Trump allies paid for a plane to fly a banner over the Iowa State Fair mocking DeSantis, who regularly dabbles on the campaign trail with his wife Casey and sometimes his children as well.
Former President Donald Trump flips a hamburger at the University of Iowa’s Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity house before the game.AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
Trump hands out an autographed hat and football to supporters during a campaign stop.AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
Trump throws a pass to the crowd at a fraternity house.AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
The Trump campaign downplayed the jab as a “desperation attack.”
The two men drew a lively mix of jeers and cheers at various times throughout their swing through the Hawkeye State.
Ahead of the celebrated game, which saw the University of Iowa Hawkeyes win 20-13, the Trump campaign blasted NBC for reporting claims his allies in Iowa are restless on anemia surgery in the Hawkeye State.
DeSantis watched the game with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Trump has a solid lead in the GOP primary, with a 27.8 percentage point lead over DeSantis, according to the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate.
Recently, a DeSantis campaign official sought to temper expectations in Iowa, telling Politico that a “strong second-place showing” there would be welcome.
Frustrated by the distraction from his mounting legal woes, Trump has skipped several cattle-calling events and instead sparred with the state’s top politicians.
With four months to go, the DeSantis campaign is hoping for an opening, having invested heavily in Iowa, a state where Trump lost to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) in 2016.
Other 2024 contenders also failed in the district on Saturday, including multi-billionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
