Former President Donald Trump is urging his supporters to guard against complacency after a recent poll found his lead in Iowa is growing.
“Sometimes, you know, you’re leading by so much, they say: ‘Oh, I think let’s sit home and watch a movie or we’ll watch the results afterwards,'” Trump said earlier tonight. “You don’t want to do that. You’ve got to get out and vote.”
During a “commit to caucus” event in Coralville, Trump cited the Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom “Iowa Poll” which found him leading his closest rival by 32 points. “The more we win by, the more we have a voice. Think of it that way. You’ve got to get out and vote, even if you think we’re going to win. Who knows? You know, sometimes polls are wrong, but that would be record setting, quite frankly,” Trump said, with a laugh, “but you’ve got to get out and vote, vote and then we worry about November. You know, do one thing first.”
Trump called his 2024 campaign “a righteous crusade” that will be advanced by a “powerful margin” of victory in the January 15th Iowa Caucuses. Trump’s speech lasted for nearly an hour and 15 minutes. He reviewed his record and campaign promises and repeated his criticism of Republicans, including Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, who are backing his GOP rivals. “What’s with these politicians, right? What’s with these politicians?” Trump asked to crowd.
Trump singled out New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, who endorsed Nikki Haley Tuesday. “It’s meant nothing,” Trump said. “People are wise to this stuff, you know?”
Before the speech, Trump met with some of the Iowans who’ve volunteered to be Caucus captains in their precincts. Trump will return next week for a similar “commit to caucus” event in Waterloo, a signal his current Iowa Caucus campaign is dedicating more resources to identifying Iowa Caucus goers and ensuring they participate on January 15.