Trump to attend Saturday’s Cy-Hawk game in Ames

Former President Donald Trump will be among the thousands in Ames on Saturday to watch the annual Cy-Hawk football game.

Trump's campaign announced Tuesday he would attend the game, but did not say whether the former president and current front-runner according to polls for the Republican presidential nomination would hold any public events while in Ames.

Kickoff for the game between the University of Iowa Hawkeyes and the Iowa State Cyclones is set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium.

Trump's onetime acting attorney general, Matt Whitaker — an Iowa native who played as a tight end for the Hawkeyes — cheered Trump's announcement in a statement provided by the campaign.

"We’re thrilled to invite Donald J. Trump to the Iowa vs. Iowa State football game this weekend," Whitaker said. "President Trump attended this game in 2015 and remembers the incredible passion and electricity of the fans.”

Trump visited a Republican tailgate for the game during his campaign in 2015, when it was also held in Ames. Then-Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, and Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul also attended the event at that time.

Trump is leading his Republican opponents for the presidential nomination in both national and Iowa polling. Iowa's Republican caucuses in January will be the first test of candidates' electoral strength and kick off the national primary process.

Iowa Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, a former Cyclones wide receiver, welcomed Trump's visit in a statement provided by the campaign. Whitver has not endorsed a candidate in the Republican primary.

"I’m proud to have President Trump witness the greatest rivalry in college sports,” he said.

Asked about Trump's attendance during a news conference Tuesday, Hawkeyes Head Coach Kirk Ferentz shrugged it off.

"There will be about 60,000 other people, too, so that's great," he said.

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for the Iowa Democratic Party slammed Trump's "MAGA agenda."

“No amount of photo ops at football games will make Iowans forget how Trump’s MAGA agenda left Iowa’s farmers, small businesses, and families behind," Iowa Democratic Party spokesperson Dawson McNamara-Bloom said.

Law enforcement plans for safety

The Iowa State University Police Department will have a significantly heightened police presence at and around the stadium because of Trump’s visit, Chief Michael Newton said.

He said the department has worked with other law enforcement agencies on a plan that they hope will minimize disruption, but he said fans should still expect some differences from the normal game day. He said there will be road closures around the stadium around the time Trump arrives as a safety precaution.

“Any time you have a former president come, it adds an element of disruption to the game day events,” he said. “…but we’ve worked with our federal partners to hopefully minimize any of the disruptions and impact that will happen.”