Former president Donald Trump’s resounding triumph in the Iowa caucuses on Monday has firmly established his dominance in the race for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, leaving his rivals in the dust.
The caucus was held at numerous schools, churches, and community centers across the state, despite the participants facing life-threatening cold and dangerous driving conditions. Nevertheless, due to an exceptionally high voter participation, Trump emerged as the victor in the Iowa Republican caucuses with a substantial lead of almost 30 percentage points, surpassing war hero Bob Dole’s previous record of roughly 13 points set in 1988.
Joe Biden utilized the social media platform X, previously referred to as Twitter, shortly after Iowa was officially declared and expressed that Trump is the unequivocal leading candidate in the GOP presidential contest.
Biden promptly launched his fundraising drive in the wake of Trump’s triumph. While doing so, he made a chilling move. He proceeded by vehemently criticizing “extreme MAGA Republicans” who are known for desiring to put America first over other nations.
“Looks like Donald Trump just won Iowa. He’s the clear frontrunner on the other side at this point. But here’s the thing: this election was always going to be you and me vs. extreme MAGA Republicans. It was true yesterday and it’ll be true tomorrow,” Biden posted.
Subsequently, Biden made a plea for contributions towards his campaign.
Looks like Donald Trump just won Iowa. He’s the clear front runner on the other side at this point.
But here’s the thing: this election was always going to be you and me vs. extreme MAGA Republicans. It was true yesterday and it’ll be true tomorrow.
So if you’re with us, chip…
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 16, 2024
Trump expressed his feelings of being “invigorated” and “greatly honored” following his victory in caucuses during his interview with Fox News on Monday after the race was called.
“It really is an honor that, minutes after, they’ve announced I’ve won — against very credible competition — great competition, actually. It is a tremendous thing and a tremendous feeling. We have to get our country back,” Trump said on Fox News. “Our country has gone through so many bad things over the last three years and it is continuing to go through bad things.”
Vivek Ramaswamy halted his candidacy and publicly supported Trump following the caucuses.
Ramaswamy, a political novice in the 2024 election, garnered widespread recognition and enjoyed a temporary jump in the polls by promoting popular policies and consistently lauding Trump.
After the caucuses on Monday, where it was expected that he would come in fourth place, Ramaswamy announced the discontinuation of his campaign.
“It is true that we did not achieve the surprise that we wanted to deliver tonight,” Ramaswamy explained. “As of this moment, we are going to suspend this presidential campaign. Earlier tonight, I called Donald Trump to tell him that I congratulated him on his victory. And now, going forward, he will have my full endorsement for the presidency.”
Ramaswamy received around 8% of the vote, coming in third place. Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley finished ahead of him, with roughly twenty percent of the vote each, securing second and third place, respectively. Conversely, Trump set new records in the fiercely disputed caucus by garnering more than fifty percent of the ballots.
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who just abandoned his own campaign for the presidency, has officially backed Donald Trump as the preferred candidate for president. The endorsement was declared during a Trump rally in Indianola, Iowa, on Sunday.
Burgum, who terminated his campaign due to poor performance in the polls and inability to meet the criteria for significant GOP debates, publicly declared, “I’m here to do something that none of the other presidential primary candidates have done, and that endorses Donald J. Trump for president.”
The decision is made in response to Trump’s ongoing lead in the polls leading up to the Iowa caucuses.
“President Trump protected our borders. He cut red tape like no president has ever done before. He passed the largest tax cuts in the history of America and he supercharged our economy,” Bergum exclaimed.
Burgum has maintained a connection with Trump that may be described as predominantly favorable and in agreement with the positions of the Republican Party. Burgum, a businessman like to Trump, has demonstrated endorsement for Trump’s policies, namely those pertaining to energy and economic matters, which have great importance for North Dakota.
The governor has shown clear support for Trump on multiple occasions, including endorsing Trump’s re-election campaign.
Trump, who presented Burgum as well as his wife at the occasion, is currently strengthening his backing among Republican Party elites. The endorsement carries significant weight, especially because it originates from a previous contender in the primary race, indicating a consolidation of Republican backing for Trump’s candidacy.
Bergum stated to CNN on Monday that “President Trump is going to win the Republican nomination. It’s not going to be close. He’s going to be up against Joe Biden. And as a governor and as a business person, I’ve had an opportunity to see what it’s like under each of those presidents.”
“And I can tell you in our state, which is an energy state, an ag state, we were much better off under President Trump. And I know when we campaign on three things: economy, energy, national security. Those things are all three interrelated. Joe Biden’s taking this country in 180 degrees the wrong direction. And I know that under a Trump administration, we’re going to be going in the right direction on that.”