MARION, Iowa — It’s a tough time in Iowa, and the favorite candidate in next week’s Republican caucus, former President Donald Trump, is nowhere to be found.
The 77-year-old Trump has authorized prominent successors — such as his eldest son, Don Jr.; Arizona Republican Senate Candidate Kari Lake; and former HUD Secretary Ben Carson — took time off from campaigning while he busied himself elsewhere, usually responding to the four pending criminal cases against him.
In fact, Trump has appeared at or scheduled just 25 events in Iowa between late March 2021 and Jan. 18, according to a tracker kept by the Des Moines Register.
In contrast, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has done 85 events, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has done 140 events, and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has done 315 events.
Donald Trump has left a top-notch surrogate to campaign for him in Iowa. Tannen Maury/UPI/Shutterstock
Not the thinking of supporters of the former president.
“It’s amazing to me what he’s done with all the corruption and the attacks and the legal problems that have been going on,” Jill Rowell, 60, told The Post at a religious event led by Carson at Grace Baptist Church here Thursday.
“He can only be in one place at one time,” agrees Julie Woolf, 56. “He’s got a lot going for him. And then he got the death of the family.”
Trump was in Iowa Wednesday night for a Fox News town hall but is not scheduled to return until the weekend, when four so-called “Commitment to Caucus” events are scheduled – two on Saturday and two on Sunday.
Former HUD Secretary Ben Carson is one of the people taking a chance on Trump in Iowa. Getty Images
On Tuesday, Trump was in Washington at a federal appeals court hearing, where his lawyers presented arguments to drop his indictment on charges of illegally plotting to stay in office following his 2020 election defeat by Joe Biden.
That evening, former first lady Melania Trump announced the death of her mother, Amalija Knavs, at the age of 78.
On Thursday, the former president was in New York to attend closing arguments in his civil fraud trial. Trump briefly addressed the judge, saying he had done “nothing wrong” and was “mistreated.”
Trump has never liked traditional politics and famously hopped around the country in an expensive Boeing 757 to hold mass rallies during his 2016 White House campaign.
Kari Lake has also campaigned for Trump as he deals with four pending criminal cases. Reuters
Now that he’s a former president, Trump events require a higher level of logistical planning, including buy-in from the Secret Service.
And unlike in 2016, when Trump narrowly lost the caucuses to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), polls show him leading his two closest rivals by double digits this time — allowing him to pick and choose his campaign appearances while avoiding each one. of the five debates held so far.
“I don’t want him to discredit these people,” said Steve O’Connell, 75, referring to other Republicans in the race. “Don’t waste your time badmouthing these people. This is a mistake. You will win, move forward.
“He’s already done that and I’m very happy with the direction he’s going.”
Donald Trump Jr. arrived for the inauguration of Louisiana governor Jeff Landry. AP
Dale Manders, 64, agreed, asking of the debate: “Why should he waste his time doing that?”
By using surrogates, Trump has been able to reap the benefits of campaigning by proxy.
“[Trump] and I, philosophically, are very similar. Personality-wise, we’re very different,” Carson told reporters after Thursday’s event in Marion, two hours northeast of Des Moines.
“It would be great, obviously, if he could be on the campaign trail. And you know from 2016, he’s a tireless guy,” added Carson. “That’s why they interfered with him, they interfered in the election.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
