Donald Trump cancels Des Moines rally because of weather forecast

DES MOINES — Former President Donald Trump canceled a rally in Des Moines on Saturday, citing the possibility of severe weather as central Iowa is under a tornado watch until 7 p.m.

There also is a potential for hail and wind gusts up to 70 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

“Unfortunately, due to the Tornado Warnings in Des Moines, we are forced to cancel today’s outdoor Rally at the Lauridsen Amphitheater,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “Stay tuned, we will reschedule soon. Be safe out there!”

Trump’s campaign has not announced details on when or if the rally will be rescheduled.

Trump was scheduled to speak at 7 p.m., with other Republican speakers expected to take the stage at 4 p.m.

Hundreds of supporters were gathered outside the Lauridsen Amphitheater at Des Moines' Water Works Park waiting to enter when a message announcing the rally had been postponed was displayed on a billboard in the waiting area.

Phil Calderon, 65, a former police officer from Illinois, said it would have been his first time seeing Trump.

“I’m disappointed it’s canceled,” he said. “This is the first rally that I attended. I drove from Illinois. I came five hours away to see President Trump.”

Pammi Priestley, who drove four hours from Minnesota for the rally, said she was disappointed, but the cancellation does not affect her support for the former president.

“There’s nothing we can do with the weather being bad, so what else are we going to say?” she said. “We’re disappointed, but you can’t be upset or mad when the weather is not going to cooperate with him.”

It would have been Trump’s second visit to Iowa this year as he seeks to woo Republicans ahead of the first-in-the-nation caucuses. It also was the first since he was indicted on campaign finance violations and found civilly liable for the sexual abuse of author and journalist E. Jean Carroll.

Former U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, Iowa state Sen. Brad Zaun and state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann were among the announced speakers.

Trump remains the clear front-runner in the Republican primary, regularly pulling more than 50 percent of support in national polls. In a March Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll, about 80 percent of Iowa Republicans had a favorable view of Trump, compared to 75 percent for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 66 percent for former Vice President Mike Pence and 54 percent for South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

Trump’s event was scheduled the same day DeSantis, the runner-up in primary polling, made a push through Iowa, headlining a fundraiser with northwest Iowa Rep. Randy Feenstra and holding a rally with Cedar Rapids Republicans.

DeSantis has not officially announced his intentions to run for president, but he has held rallies in Iowa. In Sioux Center on Saturday, he made overtures about the importance of the 2024 presidential election.

A DeSantis-aligned political action committee also announced endorsements from powerful Iowa Republicans ahead of his visit, including Senate President Amy Sinclair and House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl.

Shortly after Trump's rally was canceled, his campaign announced a list of elected and party leaders around Iowa who are supporting Trump, including state Sens. Tim Kraayenbrink and Julian Garrett, and state Reps. Heather Hora and Mark Cisneros.

Despite the list of challengers, many of Trump’s supporters on Saturday said they were not interested in supporting another Republican in the primary. Priestley said she’s “all Trump all the way.”

“I like (DeSantis) too, but he’s not ready to run,” she said. “He’s too young, and he needs to stay in Florida to do what his job is, that he got voted in for. But it’s all going to still be Trump.”