Jan. 6 (UPI) — Former President Donald Trump hit the campaign trail in Iowa over the weekend with a devastating lead on his opponents and just over a week until the state’s Republican caucus.
Trump made multiple campaign stops in Iowa over the weekend 10 days before the Republican caucus on Jan. 15. Stopping Friday afternoon in Sioux City, Trump offered his condolences to the victims of the school shooting at Perry High School that occurred just two days ago, but urged supporters to “get over it” and “move forward.”
The shooter, 17-year-old Dylan Butler opened fire in the school Thursday morning, killing one sixth-grade student before turning the gun on himself. Police are still investigating the shooting, and the shooters motivation is unknown.
He also made comments regarding the United States Supreme Court’s hearing on his ban from the primary ballot in Colorado, urging his three Supreme Court appointees to be fair in their judgement.
“You appoint some of these radical left Democrats … and the Republican judges want to go out of their way to be fair and unbiased, even to a point where they hurt you,” Trump said. “I guess it’s a different wiring system or something. But all I want is fair.”
The Supreme Court is set to hear appeals in February on Trump’s disqualification from the Colorado primary ballot on the grounds that he ignited the Jan. 6 insurrection on the Capitol.
The former president then headlined a Friday night rally in Mason City, where he fired back at President Joe Biden’s Friday campaign speech, calling it a “pathetic fearmongering campaign event” while calling the president’s record an unbroken streak of weakness, incompetence, corruption and failure.”
“Biden, if you take a look at what he’s doing on the border or inflation, or our military, that horrible day in Afghanistan, you look at what he’s done with energy,” Trump said. “All throughout the world, we’re an embarrassment as a country. We’ve become an embarrassment as a country.”
He repeatedly urged his supporters to “not take any chances” and vote on Jan. 15.
“The biggest risk is, you say you know what? He’s winning by so much, darling,” he said. “Let’s stay home and watch television. Let’s watch this great victory. And if enough people do that, it’s not going to be pretty. But we’re not going to let that happen.”
On Saturday, the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, Trump made stops in Newton and Clinton. At the DMACC Conference Center in Newton, he expressed support for the rioters, calling them “peaceful” and “patriotic.”
Trump is far outpacing his Republican rivals in Iowa, according to recent polling. As of Jan. 6, the former president is heading into state Republican Caucus on Jan. 15 leading with 50% support. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is a distant second with 18.4%, and Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy trail with 15.7% and 6% respectively.
The national divide is even more stark, with Trump standing at 61.8% support while his opponents support dove down to the low teens and single digits.
Biden, who is hoping to secure the White House for a second term, could also face an uphill battle against Trump. Polling as of Jan. 5 found him at 55.5% disapproval and 38.3% approval, which is a near flip from where he was around the same time in 2023.
