Video: Trump: Illegal immigrants poison our country's blood/Reuters
Former US President Donald Trump at a rally in Clinton, Iowa, January 6, 2024/Reuters
Former President Donald Trump continues to lead his rivals Tuesday night in the first Republican primary in Iowa. At this time, Trump receives more than 50% of the vote, opening a significant gap over his rivals, as polls have predicted. The second place is contested by former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Voting in the state of Iowa took place in the form of election assemblies in schools, churches and other small events, in the midst of a snowstorm and frost reaching up to 23 degrees below zero. It opened at 3:00 (Israel time) and ended a short time ago.
Before polls opened, candidates urged supporters to leave their homes despite the weather, with Trump saying, "Even if you vote and then die, it's worth it."
Republican Party primaries in Iowa, USA, January 16, 2024/Reuters, photo: Reuters
Republican Party primaries in Iowa, USA, January 16, 2024/Reuters, photo: Reuters
As mentioned, the preliminary polls predicted Trump's victory in the state of Iowa. Therefore, the focus of interest focused on the race for second place – on the candidate who would give Trump an alternative.
Trump's victory in Iowa will bolster his case that he is the only Republican candidate capable of running against incumbent Democratic President Joe Biden, despite criminal cases against him that could make him a convicted felon before the Nov. 5 presidential election.
"Trump is very narcissist and arrogant — but he'll do things," Rita Stone, a 53-year-old Trump supporter, told Reuters. Like many other voters, Stone said her main concern was the southern U.S. border with Mexico, and praised Trump's effort to build a wall there when he was president.
On the other hand, Tony Van Voorhees, 65, who planned to support Haley, said: "I just want to be able to look back and say I did everything I could to prevent Donald Trump from getting elected."
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