Iowa GOP chair to nominate Trump at Republican National Convention

DES MOINES — Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann will give the speech next week at the Republican National Convention formally nominating Donald Trump to be elected president.

Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird, who endorsed Trump ahead of the January Iowa caucuses, also will speak.

Kaufmann remained neutral through the 2024 caucus — which was the first presidential nominating contest for this years' national Republican primary — but has been a staunch supporter of Trump since it became clear he would be the party's nominee. Kaufmann's son, state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, was a top adviser to Trump's Iowa caucus campaign.

"I am beyond humbled and honored to be asked to deliver the speech that nominates Donald J. Trump to be our Republican nominee for President," Kaufmann said in a statement provided by a spokesperson. "As far as we know, this is the first time any Iowan has ever had this privilege. While Democrats in Iowa and across the country flounder as Biden’s approval ratings continue to plummet, Republicans have shown a unified front from the 2024 caucus to now that we will carry into the convention next week in Milwaukee."

Kaufmann said in the statement he would fight to keep Iowa's first-in-the-nation status on the Republican presidential primary calendar. He said a second Trump presidency would help cut spending, cut taxes, support law enforcement and enhance border security.

Bird will speak at the convention Tuesday, when the theme will be "Make America Safe Again."

"And that's exactly what President Trump will do," Bird said in a statement. "The last three and a half years have made it clear: We desperately need his leadership back in the White House. Iowa Republicans are ready to make our voices heard this November and do our part to help President Trump Make America Great Again!”

Bird has been a vocal Trump defender as he's faced prosecution over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, retaining classified documents after leaving office and hush money payments to an adult film star. She visited the courtroom in New York during his trial before he was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records for those hush money payments.

This week, Bird filed a brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court hear a case from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey asking the court to overturn Trump's conviction on those charges.

The full list of speakers for the convention has not yet been announced. The convention will take place Monday through Thursday in Milwaukee.

Iowa U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds were among the speakers at the 2020 Republican National Convention.

Kaufmann's speech nominating Trump will be the culmination of Trump's return as the party's de facto leader for the third time after this year he cleared a primary field that included Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

At the same time, Democratic President Joe Biden's candidacy is increasingly in doubt as calls for him to exit the race pile up after a disastrous debate performance in June when he spoke weakly and stumbled over his words, fueling concerns about his physical and mental fitness to hold the office for four more years.

On Thursday, two of the four Iowa Democrats running for Congress called on Biden to drop out. Christina Bohannan, who is running against incumbent Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa's 1st Congressional District, and Sarah Corkery, who is running against incumbent Republican Ashley Hinson in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District, said Biden should withdraw.

The Democratic National Convention will be held Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.