Des Moines (agencies)
Donald Trump achieved a landslide victory in the first Republican primary election in the state of Iowa yesterday evening, in results announced only half an hour after the start of voting, which strengthened his position as the most likely candidate for the Republicans in the presidential elections next November.
The 77-year-old billionaire, who is being tried in four criminal cases, led his main rivals, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, by a large margin, obtaining 51% of the votes, according to the semi-final results.
By achieving this result, Trump takes an additional step towards a possible final duel with Democratic President Joe Biden.
In a speech he delivered before a crowd of his supporters in Des Moines, the capital of the state located in the American Midwest, Trump, who is usually known for his offensive speeches, said, “I believe that it is time for everyone for our country to unite, whether they are Republicans, Democrats, liberals, or conservatives.”
Then he began presenting his electoral program, pledging to “close the border” with Mexico and dig more oil wells, if elected.
Although the population of Iowa does not exceed one percent of the population of the United States, this state has held a special place on the American political scene for more than 50 years, because it allows the course of the following primary races to be estimated.
This moment of Trump's victory is of special importance, because if he had not achieved it, the former president's image of being an invincible candidate would have been weakened during the rest of the electoral race.
In turn, President Joe Biden acknowledged the importance of this moment in a post on the “X” platform, in which he called on his supporters to donate to his election campaign, and in which he said that Donald Trump has “clearly become the most likely candidate for the Republican Party at this stage.”
Next week, the candidates will move to New Hampshire, before it is the turn of each of the fifty states to make its electoral decision, until next June.
Then comes the national caucus in July, during which the Republican nominee to run in the presidential election is officially chosen.
In parallel, another issue gained special importance during the Iowa elections, which was Ron DeSantis's coming in second place.
The conservative governor of Florida, who often takes shocking positions on immigration, received 21% of the vote. He had bet everything on the state of Iowa, having visited all 99 counties in recent months.
DeSantis expressed his happiness with his result to his supporters, whom he thanked for their support, while “everyone was against us,” as he put it, noting that the media wrote, “We mourned a few months ago.”
In turn, former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, the only woman in the electoral race, came in third place with 19% of the votes. However, she did not consider herself defeated, stressing that she would achieve better results in the following primary elections.
Donald Trump will live an exceptional year by all standards, including visits to the courts and election rallies.
In Iowa, unexpected cold and snow disrupted the election process for all candidates. The state was hit by a snowstorm and the temperature approached 30 degrees below zero during the voting period, while the roads were covered in ice.
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