|
It
had not been clear until now that Trump, the runaway frontrunner
for the Republican nomination, would attend the annual fair in
state capital Des Moines that runs from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20.
It last year attracted 1 million attendees and is an important
venue for political candidates as they court voters in the state
that opens the nominating contest in January.
Trump's move to attend the event appears designed to take the
spotlight away from the other Republican candidates, especially
his nearest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has been
sinking in the polls and who is desperately trying to
recalibrate his campaign in the early voting states of Iowa and
New Hampshire.
Most of his rivals have agreed to be interviewed individually at
the state fair by Iowa's Republican Governor Kim Reynolds
between Aug. 11 and Aug. 18, but Trump turned down her
invitation. Trump has been angered by her public neutrality in
the primary race and her appearance with DeSantis at several of
his Iowa events.
In 2015, early in his ultimately successful bid for the White
House, and when most pundits were dismissing his campaign, Trump
flew into the Iowa State Fair in a helicopter.
He was given an enthusiastic reception by crowds, in an early
sign of the support that would propel him to victory over
Democrat Hillary Clinton in November 2016.
"Just like he had a great event in 2015, he's going to have a
great event at the Iowa State Fair in 2023," the aide told
Reuters.
Trump is currently crushing his primary opposition. He is
roughly 30 points ahead of DeSantis, with the others still only
in single digits.
Trump has been telling crowds in recent weeks that he does not
see the point of attending the first Republican debate on Aug.
23, because he is so far ahead of the field.
The aide said Trump has not ruled out attending the debate, but
is "unlikely to attend."
(Reporting by Tim Reid; Editing by Jamie Freed)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
