How Donald Trump’s rally in Iowa could kick off the 2024 presidential campaign

Large crowds are expected at Donald Trump’s next rally in Iowa following recent positive polls and continued speculation about his plans for 2024.

The former president is expected to headline the “Save America” ​​event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines on Saturday, along with other speakers including Iowa Reps Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Ashley Hinson, and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.

Organizers told Iowa Local 5 that they expect tens of thousands to attend the rally, which will take place after a Des Moines Register-Mediacom Iowa Poll revealed that Trump is more popular now than he’s ever been in the state he easily won in 2016 and 2020.

The survey shows that 53% of Iowans, including 91% of Republicans, have a favorable opinion of Trump, with 45% having an unfavorable opinion. As noted by The Des Moines Register, these numbers are the best ever recorded by Trump on either measurement in Iowa.

The results mean there is a potential subplot surrounding the upcoming rally in Iowa. It’s likely the GOP will keep Iowa as the first state to vote in caucuses to find the 2024 presidential candidate, which means what voters in Hawkeye state think still matters tremendously.

An impressive turnout in Iowa could be another signal that Trump will finally decide to run again in 2024, having flirted with the idea almost immediately after leaving office.

While The Monks Register-Mediacom Iowa Poll does not ask about Trump’s possibility as president, but instead asks attendees to indicate whether their feelings towards him were “very favorable, overwhelmingly favorable, overwhelmingly unfavorable, or very unfavorable,” the results show that there is no indication its popularity in the key state has faltered.

Trump also appeared to start preparations for a possible 2024 campaign after his PAC leadership hired two political consultants from Iowa – Eric Branstad and Alex Latcham – as senior advisers.

Jeff Kaufmann, chairman of the Iowa Republican Party, said The the Wall Street newspaper that he spoke to Trump in August and instead focus on the mid-terms of 2022 and use his influence to help the GOP regain control of the Senate and the House.

“He never raised his candidacy for the presidency,” Kaufmann said. “He understands very clearly that potentially the road to a majority in the Federal House of Representatives is through Iowa and he definitely wants to be part of it.”

However, Kaufmann added that if Trump were to announce his intentions for 2024, he would still need to campaign intensively in Iowa and hope for good attendance at his rallies.

“Even someone who gets a 91% approval rating has to justify running for president,” Kauffman said.