Trump’s Iowa plans add to 2024 intrigue
DES MOINES, Iowa – Former President Donald Trump said he will return to Iowa for a rally, stoking speculation about a 2024 run for the White House.
Trump announced his intentions to return to the first-in-the-nation caucus state on the Todd Starnes Show while discussing crowd sizes at recent rallies in Alabama and Ohio.
“We're doing some more,” he said. “We're going to Iowa. We're going to Georgia. We're going to some others.”
A source familiar with Trump's plans told the Des Moines Register initial conversations had begun about holding an Iowa rally.
Trump's announcement on the show comes as other potential Republican presidential contenders are already making trips to Iowa. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas held fundraisers for U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson and congressional candidate Nicole Hasso over the weekend and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida is holding events in Iowa Monday and Tuesday.
Other rumored candidates who have made trips to Iowa since the 2020 election include several former Trump officials such as Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, and U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas have also visited Iowa this year.
Earlier this month, Trump's leadership PAC hired two Iowa political consultants – Eric Branstad and Alex Latcham – as senior advisers, another possible indication of his interest in Iowa.
Trump also recently called Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann to ask about the mood in Iowa. Kaufmann said he did not expect the call, but he also didn't read into any political motivations Trump may have had.
Trump handily won Iowa in the 2016 and 2020 elections, carrying the state by 9.4 percentage points in 2016 and 8 percentage points in 2020.
A Des Moines Register/mediacom Iowa Poll in June showed Iowans were evenly split on Trump, with 49% saying they had a favorable view of him and 49% saying they had an unfavorable view.