Trump jump-starts Iowa caucus turnout effort, blasts Biden in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS — Former President Donald Trump urged his supporters to turn out on caucus night, blasted President Joe Biden, ridiculed his Republican challengers several times and boasted about state and national polls that show him far ahead during a meandering address Saturday in Cedar Rapids.

The four-times indicted former president who faces charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election, said Saturday: "If Joe Biden wants to make this race a question of which candidate will defend our democracy and protect our freedoms, I say ‘Crooked Joe’ — and he’s crooked — is the most corrupt president we’ve ever had.“

“But Joe Biden is not the defender of American democracy,” Trump said. “Joe Biden is the destroyer of American democracy.”

House Republicans' investigations into the financial dealings of President Joe Biden and his family have not found evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Biden.

Trump faces criminal charges in two separate cases over the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, his alleged mishandling of classified documents and charges of business fraud over an alleged “hush money” payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

The indictments amount to more than 90 felony charges. Trials are scheduled to begin in March and May 2024, while the Georgia trial has not yet been scheduled.

“When Marxists, communists and fascists indict me, I consider it a badge of honor,” Trump said to loud applause. “I’m being indicted for you.”

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Trump also continued his relentless, unproven claims that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged” and stolen during the campaign event at Kirkwood Community College. He said he wants same-day voting on Election Day, paper ballots and instating requirements for voter ID.

He also called for the death penalty for drug dealers, and praised Chinese President Xi Jinping, calling him “a piece of granite” who is “tough,” “smart” and “at the top of his game.”

Trump said China has "no drug problem" because it executes drug dealers after swift trials.

He also promised to conduct "the largest domestic deportation operation in American history" should he win election to a second term in 2024, claiming terrorists and criminals are pouring into the country. Doing so would require building large camps to house migrants waiting for deportation and tapping federal and local law enforcement to assist with large-scale arrests of undocumented immigrants across the country.

If elected, Trump said he would also immediately restore and expand a travel ban on entry into the U.S. from Muslim-majority countries and proposed "strong ideological screening" of immigrants.

The former president also touted his support of Iowa farmers and trade policies while in the White House — including reached a deal with Canada and Mexico to restructure the North American Free Trade Agreement in hopes the new trilateral accord will reinvigorate the U.S. manufacturing sector, and protecting and expanding ethanol.

“We are going to keep fighting for Iowa families,” he said.

The current Republican presidential front-runner has ramped up his campaign and appearances in Iowa over the last two months as he looks to solidify his lead over the 2024 GOP field in the state that will kick off the presidential nominating contest.

Trump is scheduled to return to Iowa Tuesday for an exclusive town hall in Davenport hosted by Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity.

He’s also scheduled a campaign event in Coralville on Dec. 13.

Democrats respond

The Biden-Harris campaign has ramped up its attacks, going on offense against Trump and the GOP field as the former president doubles down on his call to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The Biden campaign launched a new TV ad airing Thursday in several key battleground states attacking Trump's health care policies.

Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social last weekend that he’s “seriously looking at alternatives” to replace the health care law if he wins a second term.

On Saturday, Trump said: “It's open season right now on Obamacare. And everybody’s seeing the staggering and brutally expensive that plans are becoming. … We’re going to give you great health care.”

The health care law has proved increasingly popular for its consumer protections to bar insurers from turning away or charging higher prices for people with preexisting conditions, and policies enabling young people to stay on a parent’s insurance plan until age 26.

“If Trump gets rid of the ACA, Iowans would be kicked off their insurance, insurance companies could discriminate against people with preexisting conditions, and health care costs would soar,” Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said in a statement.

State of the race

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Trump’s visit comes just six weeks before the first-in-the-nation Iowa Republican caucuses on Jan. 15, and as DeSantis and Haley jockey for second place as they try to cement themselves as a clear alternative to the former president.

The caucus race in Iowa has remained largely static, according to poll results released last month by Iowa State University and Civiqs. Trump maintains commanding double-digit leads over the rest of the Republican primary field in state and national polling.

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Mark Lucas, a Wilton native and decorated Afghanistan War veteran with the Iowa Army National Guard who previously served as Iowa state director of Americans for Prosperity, endorsed Trump at the Cedar Rapids campaign rally.

Lucas mentioned Trump signing VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act and making reforms to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“President Trump kept his promise to our nation’s heroes,” Lucas said.

What voters had to say

Jerry Miller, 68, of Kalona, and Merle Olsen, 72, of Cedar Rapids, were among the close to 1,000 people gathered Saturday afternoon in a gymnasium on the Kirkwood Community College campus.

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Both said they are committed supporters of the former president and intend to caucus for him on Jan. 15. Nothing, they said, could sway their support of the former president and dismissed Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ and conservative leader Bob Vander Plaats’ endorsements of DeSantis.

“Ron DeSantis is a good governor. I’m not sure how good he would be at running a country,“ Olsen said. ”Vivek (Ramaswamy), I do like a lot of his ideas. Nikki Haley, I think she’s too pro-war.“

Miller added: “You’ve seen the polls. There’s a lot of money going down the tubes to support those guys. They’re unproven on the national scale. Donald Trump has been there. He’s done that.”

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Both Olsen and Miller said they believe Reynolds has done a good job as governor and are turned off by Trump’s personal attacks and criticisms of her and Haley, but are willing to overlook them in support of his policies.

“I don’t care for that kind of stuff, but I do think (Trump’s) the strongest president that we could have,” Olsen said. “Put the little personality things aside, and see how he governs.”

The pair separately touted Trump’s trade and farm policies, protecting American jobs and undoing Democratic President Joe Biden’s immigration policies and electric vehicle incentives.

Miller also said he supports Trump’s calls to open more land for oil drilling.

Olsen cited Trumps calls to ban "critical race theory" from schools and his vow to “stop” gender-affirming care for minors if re-elected president. She also opposes sending aid to Ukraine to help it fight against Russia’s invasion of that country, and supports Trump’s foreign policy.

Trump has claimed if he'd been in office, Russia wouldn't have invaded Ukraine.

“I don’t think we necessarily need to be involved and we need to support Ukraine,” Olsen said. “ … If we keep giving them money, we’re just extending the war out. That’s what’s been happening. So why do we have to be the police between Russia and Ukraine? What business is it of ours?”

Miller, who said he caucused for Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2016, lauded Trump’s appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices, which led directly to the overturning of what for five decades had been a legally protected right to an abortion.

Several Trump supporters and likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers interviewed by The Gazette at the event dismissed the federal investigations as what they see as politically motivated prosecution and a “witch hunt” intended to sideline Biden’s chief political opponent.

Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com