Trump and DeSantis to battle it out in dueling Iowa rallies ahead of key 2024 test
by Mabinty Quarshie, National Politics Correspondent
November 29, 2023 07:00 AM
Former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) will hold competing campaign rallies this weekend in Iowa to shore up support before next year's Iowa caucuses.
For Trump, the Saturday rallies first in Ankeny, Iowa, in the early afternoon and then in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, midafternoon will be another attempt to wrangle his overwhelming band of supporters to pledge to caucus for him on Jan. 15 in hopes that a strong showing during the caucuses will force his 2024 rivals to drop out. For DeSantis, his rally at the Thunderdome in Newton, Iowa, roughly 98 miles from Cedar Rapids, marks his last visit to all 99 counties in the Hawkeye State, a feat known as a "full Grassley" in honor of longtime Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA).
The competing events represent two vastly different approaches to campaigning in Iowa among the two men. DeSantis has opted for the traditional route of small gatherings in rural areas where he has championed conservative credentials, including a six-week abortion he signed into law in April and touting the big-name endorsements he has received recently.
Trump has chosen to campaign in larger or growing Iowa cities at a lesser pace than DeSantis, where he has rallied loyal supporters around populism and a politics of grievances.
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