Trump thanks Iowa for election victory

By Rod Boshart, Gazette Des Moines Bureau

DES MOINES - President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday thanked cheering Iowans for helping him win the election and told them he looks forward to having Gov. Terry Branstad be a key ally in improving America's trade policies and international standing as ambassador to China.

'I love you folks,” Trump told nearly 5,000 people who rallied with him in Des Moines on his victory tour of battleground states. 'Boy did you deliver.”

Trump scored Iowa's six swing-state electoral votes on Nov. 8 by winning 50.6 percent of the 1,581,371 ballots that Iowans cast on Election Day or in early or absentee voting.

The 800,983 for Trump and his running mate, former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who appeared with Trump at Thursday's rally, outpaced the 653,669 votes cast for the Democratic ticket of Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine.

'We have a movement the likes of which this world has never seen before,” said Trump, who recounted his election night upsets and laid out his agenda to shouts of 'USA” during a rally that was interrupted by protesters who were escorted out of the arena by officers. He ended his speech with an upbeat call for national unity.

Trump also took the occasion of his return to Iowa to bring Branstad on stage with him to tout him as a loyal supporter and the best-qualified appointee to help guide diplomatic relations with China and address disputes between two of the world's super powers.

Trump called Branstad 'a very special man” who has become 'a great friend” who knows how to get results 'and he will deliver results.”

He said that although a lot of people wanted the Chinese ambassadorship, Branstad has led six trade missions to China and is respected by Chinese officials.

'It has been a great honor and privilege to serve the state of Iowa,” said Branstad. 'I am very proud to serve America in this new role, thank you very much.”

Earlier this week, Branstad accepted Trump's offer to become the next U.S. ambassador to China, a post Trump said he was uniquely qualified for given his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping that began during a sister-state visit to Iowa during Branstad's first gubernatorial term in the 1980s.

Branstad, the longest-serving governor in U.S. history, likely will step down after Trump is inaugurated Jan. 20 and his appointment to the Chinese ambassadorship is confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds would become Iowa's first female governor once she is sworn in to succeed Branstad.

During his 50-minute speech, Trump promised when he takes office next month to cut taxes, end Environmental Protection Agency 'intrusion in your lives,” reduce government regulations 'to a fraction,” cut the nation's trade deficit, invest in infrastructure improvements that includes rural areas and inner cities, build the U.S. military, repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, and build a wall at the Mexican border as part of his approach to ending illegal immigration.

'It's very good that he's coming in and saying ‘thank you' to Iowans,” said Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Red Oak. 'I hope that what he's doing as well is reassuring those who didn't vote for him that he is going to work hard for all Iowans and all Americans, not just those who voted for him.”

Officials with the Iowa Democratic Party issued a statement calling Trump's victory tour across election-battleground states 'nothing more than a media stunt to distract Americans from his unprecedented conflicts of interest and the extremism embodied by his closest advisers and Cabinet nominees.”

'After pledging to ‘drain the swamp' in Washington, D.C., Donald Trump is filling his transition team with special interest lobbyists, wealthy donors, Washington insiders and billionaires like himself,” said state Rep. Todd Prichard, D-Charles City.

Comments: (515) 243-7220; rod.boshart@thegazette.com