AMES, Iowa >> Donald Trump made a grand entrance, stepping out of a fraternity house to the cheers of hundreds of Iowa State University students. He delighted the crowd by tossing autographed footballs into the air.
“Seems like the youth is on Team Trump,” he remarked, his voice drowned out by the students’ cheers. He spoke to the Right Side Broadcasting Network, a strong supporter of his candidacy.
The former president then made his way to a private stadium suite, where he watched the annual football grudge match between Iowa State University and the University of Iowa.
This pregame stop on campus was a powerful reminder of Trump’s dominant position in the crowded Republican field, not only in Iowa but also nationally. While some of his rivals also attended the game and mingled with fans at pregame tailgates, Trump garnered far more attention and has not faced any consequences for skipping the customary closer interactions with voters, a cherished tradition in Iowa politics.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has struggled to establish himself as a formidable opponent to Trump, also attended the game. He was accompanied by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, who has yet to endorse a candidate but frequently appears with DeSantis and his wife, Casey.
As DeSantis moved from one tailgate to another, he was surrounded by enthusiastic fans waving campaign signs from a booth hosted by the pro-DeSantis Never Back Down super PAC.
“We’re having a great time,” DeSantis told the reporters. “The atmosphere here is quite something, probably a little more civil than the Florida-Georgia game.”
Trump has made it a habit to visit Iowa on the same day as DeSantis, whom he considers his primary competition. Their dynamic on Saturday was similar to last month when Trump drew massive crowds at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, while DeSantis spoke to smaller audiences and enjoyed the fair’s rides with his family.
At the Alpha Gamma Rho house, students eagerly attempted to snap pictures of Trump as he mingled with the crowd, flipping burgers at the grill.
Throughout the day, there were a few insults hurled at Trump’s motorcade as it made its way through Ames. Some fans on the streets made obscene gestures.
Small prop planes flew over the stadium with a banner that read, “Where’s Melania?” The former first lady has been noticeably absent from the campaign thus far.
Hired performers dressed in inflatable costumes, one portraying Trump and the other infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, strolled through the parking lot holding hands while wearing face masks.
Before the game, candidates Doug Burgum, the North Dakota governor, and Asa Hutchinson, a former Arkansas governor, made appearances. They greeted each other at a tailgate honoring veterans, where Senator Joni Ernst stayed for most of the afternoon.
While the fans came for the football, not the politics, they have had opportunities to see most of the candidates who regularly appear at Iowa cattle calls and meet-and-greets.
DeSantis, in particular, is increasingly focused on securing a victory or a high placement in Iowa. He claims to have already visited over half of the state’s 99 counties.
Trump, on the other hand, had only made six visits to Iowa this year before Saturday. Nonetheless, his campaign has been hard at work in his absence, promising a more disciplined and data-driven effort for the organization-heavy caucuses compared to his first campaign in 2016, when he finished second to Ted Cruz.
Trump’s campaign set up multiple booths around the parking lots, where volunteers urged fans to sign caucus pledge cards.
During the game, Trump sat with influential Republican donor Gary Kirke, a powerhouse in the Iowa casino industry. Trump waved at fans from the window of his skybox, entertaining visitors who were allowed to come and go before he left the game during the third quarter.
Last week, Trump held a conference call with tens of thousands of Iowans. He has also made some in-person stops in Iowa to meet with voters. In June, he handed out Dairy Queen “Blizzards” while confessing that he had no idea what they were.
There is no precedent in Iowa political history for a former president running to reclaim his old office while being indicted on over 90 felony counts. Nevertheless, other high-profile candidates and strong front-runners have engaged in town halls and retail campaigning, as is customary in Iowa and other early primary states.
In 2007, then-Senator Hillary Clinton entered the race for the 2008 Democratic nomination as a national celebrity and the frontrunner in national polls. Drawing massive crowds, Clinton sought to meet the demand by holding smaller meetings with local activists before addressing packed gyms and auditoriums.
Clinton also attended party events with her lesser-known rivals to demonstrate her readiness to undergo the rigorous campaigning that Iowans typically demand. Ultimately, in the 2008 caucus, she lost to then-Senator Barack Obama, who went on to secure the nomination and the presidency.
This year, Trump has chosen to forgo all but one of these events in Iowa. The exception was the Iowa Republican Party Lincoln Dinner in July, a significant event that helps fund the caucus.
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