Donald Trump heads to Iowa under pressure

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Khaleda Rahman

By Khaleda Rahman

National Correspondent

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Donald Trump will deliver remarks on his "America First" education policy during a visit to Davenport, Iowa, on Monday.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, widely expected to announce a 2024 presidential run, made his debut swing through the state on Friday.
Trump remains popular among Iowa Republicans, although polls show that his support has declined since he left office.
His visit comes as his legal woes are intensifying, with potential indictments looming.

Donald Trump will make his first trip to Iowa since launching his third bid for the presidency on Monday.

The former president will deliver remarks on his "America First" education policy at the Adler Theatre in Davenport on Monday evening, according to the Trump campaign's website.

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He is also expected to touch more broadly on accomplishments during his presidency and his agenda for another term, The Associated Press reported, citing a person familiar with his plans. Trump is also expected to make an unannounced stop at a local establishment, the person said.

He was beaten to Iowa by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who made his debut swing through the state on Friday.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump addresses CPAC

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DeSantis met with legislators and promoted his new book during the trip, but he is widely expected to announce a 2024 presidential run.

Polls—and Trump himself—view the Florida governor as Trump's biggest threat to securing the GOP nomination.

Trump remains popular among Iowa Republicans, although his support has declined somewhat since he left office, according to a Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll released on Friday.

Eighty percent of self-identified Republicans in Iowa said they have a favorable view of Trump, down from 91 percent in September 2021, according to the poll.

The same poll found DeSantis is also well-liked by Iowa Republicans, with 75 percent saying they have a favorable view of him.

Trump has been hitting out at his likely rival in posts on his Truth Social platform, using mocking monikers like "Ron DeSanctimonious."

On Sunday, he suggested that DeSantis' row with Disney over the company's opposition to Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill was "a hoax" designed to make the governor "look like a fighter."

"Ron DeSanctimonious totally caved in his public relations inspired battle with Disney," Trump wrote. "That's the only reason he went after them in the first place, to show Mr. Tough Guy."

Trump's visit to Iowa a year before the state's presidential caucuses also comes as his legal woes are intensifying.

He was recently invited by the Manhattan District Attorney's office to testify before a grand jury that has been investigating hush money payments made on his behalf during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Such a request indicates that a decision on indictments could be looming. If indicted, Trump would become the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges.

Meanwhile, a district attorney in Georgia is weighing whether to bring charges against Trump following a lengthy investigation by a special grand jury into the alleged efforts of Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election results in the state.

"Decisions are imminent," Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis told a judge in late January.

A Justice Department special counsel is also investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the election, as well as the handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

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