Trump Dominates DeSantis in Iowa Polling Ahead of Dueling Saturday Events

President Trump is dominating early polls in Iowa as he and Governor DeSantis head to the state in what will be the first time the two hold dueling events in the 2024 election cycle.A McLaughlin and Associates poll of 500 likely Iowa caucus voters released Wednesday found that Mr. Trump enjoys a 34-point lead in the Hawkeye State.The poll put Mr. DeSantis in a distant second place, wth Mr. Trump enjoying 54 percent support to Mr. DeSantis’s 20 percent. Vice President Pence was the third most popular candidate, enjoying 7 percent support.With the Iowa caucuses less than a year away, candidates are, as is tradition, heading there to get a foothold with voters in a state that has been a springboard to success in other primaries.On Saturday, May 13, Mr. Trump is scheduled to hold a rally at Des Moines at the Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park. At the same time, Mr. DeSantis will be speaking at Sioux Center and Cedar Rapids, the latter of which is only about two hours by car from Des Moines.This will not be the first time that either candidate has visited Iowa for the 2024 GOP presidential primary, but it will be the first time that the two are in the state holding competing events within driving distance of one another.The competing events come hot on the tail of Mr. Trump’s incendiary appearance at a CNN town hall Wednesday night and as the GOP waits for Mr. DeSantis to officially announce his candidacy.During the event on CNN, Mr. Trump took the opportunity to brag about his lead in the polls, saying that he was ahead of Mr. DeSantis “by a lot” and that Mr. DeSantis should “relax and take it easy and think about the future, because right now his future isn’t looking so good.”Reporting from NBC and other outlets suggested that an announcement from Mr. DeSantis could come as soon as mid-May. Yet new reporting from ABC News suggests that this may be delayed.While it’s not publicly known exactly when Mr. DeSantis plans to enter the race or why he may have delayed his decision to announce, Mr. Trump has taken the opportunity to posture on his dominant position in the polls.“DeSanctimonious put off his announcement until June because his numbers are sooo BAD,” Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post. “He also got rid of his ridiculous ‘Exploratory Committee’ because he didn’t like what they were telling him. MAGA.”So far, Mr. DeSantis hasn’t fired back at the former president and has avoided confrontation with him and his base of voters, even as other potential candidates call for a more confrontational campaign against Mr. Trump.Governor Christie, who is himself considering a White House bid, has taken shots both against Mr. Trump and Mr. DeSantis and has called for a more confrontational style of campaigning against the former president.

Trump Dominates DeSantis in Iowa Polling Ahead of Dueling Saturday Events

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