Hanging with the Trump Crowd
In my 22 years of covering politics in Iowa, I’ve never seen the depth of support that Donald Trump gets from his followers at rallies. They don’t just support the man; they seem to worship him.
I’m not talking about public opinion polls. Although, Trump leads every poll that I’ve seen versus the rest of the Republican presidential candidates. That doesn’t mean that I’m predicting Trump will become president again (will be a challenge for him with independents) or even that he’ll win the 2024 Iowa Republican Caucuses (he’s the heavy favorite but isn’t a guarantee to win).
But the following pictures that I took at the Iowa State Fair when Trump visited illustrate what I mean.
Trump claimed that the crowd he attracted on the first Saturday of the fair was “breaking all State Fair records.” Not true. But no other candidate drew as many onlookers.
Some apparently believe his allegation that fraud cost him the 2016 Iowa Caucus win (Senator Ted Cruz of Texas won, according to the Republican Party of Iowa which oversaw the caucus). Followers wore hats calling for “back-to-back” caucus wins for Trump (2016 and 2024). You will recall that Trump also claimed that millions of people voted illegally in the 2016 general election and that’s why Hillary Clinton defeated him in the popular vote. He failed to prove that, even with resources as president. Trump also claimed that there were millions of illegal votes in 2020 and that’s why Joe Biden beat him. He’s failed to prove that, too.
But it doesn’t seem to matter to his devotees. They believe what he says, regardless of whether it’s true.
They wore the Brandon t-shirts, as well as some Fire Biden t-shirts (except some used a different “f-word” instead of “Fire.”). I’ve never seen political events with so many shirts, hats or flags that feature an “f-bomb” than I have at Trump events.
I’ve also never seen supporters dressed in a candidate’s garb as often as I’ve seen at Trump rallies.
So many American flags by the people Trump calls “patriots.”
And patriots fight for freedom.
Trump’s combination of the celebration of America first patriotism feels, telling people what they want to hear, claiming that he’s accomplished things that no other person ever could and the fact that most of the other presidential candidates are hesitant/fearful/unwilling to contrast themselves with him directly make him the overwhelming favorite to become the party’s nominee for the third time.
Never mind that he’s the only U.S. president in history to get impeached twice. Never mind that he’s the only president/former president to get criminally indicted (he’s now been indicted four times in separate investigations). Never mind that Republicans lost the majority in the U.S. house while he was president in 2018, lost the White House and the senate in 2020 and then failed to see their “red wave” of victories nationally in 2022 after he campaigned for candidates.
Never mind that he didn’t sit down with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds for one-on-one chats at the State Fair like a dozen other candidates did. Or never mind that he’s apparently going to skip the first presidential debate this Wednesday.
Never mind that some of his followers attacked the U.S. Capitol Building after his rally on January 6, 2021, and threatened to murder Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as they hoped to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
I keep hearing from some Republicans that caucus goers are looking for a different nominee than Trump in 2024. But so far (and, yes, it’s still five months away from the January 15th caucuses), Trump looks like he has the easiest path to the nomination. And his unwavering followers could be what lead the way, unless some other candidate convinces at least some of them that there’s a better way forward.
(Dave Price is a native Midwesterner and Iowan by choice for the past 22 years. He has written two books on the uniqueness of presidential campaigns in Iowa).
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I am not an expert on cults, but Trump and his supporters give the appearance of one.
What's your thoughts on the Iowa Caucuses as they now stand? I'm of a mind they need to be replaced by a primary in this state and let other states go ahead of us. I think the program has run its course.