Global Courant
Trump moves closer to securing the third consecutive nomination for the Republican Party after an important vote.
Former United States President Donald Trump has won the Iowa caucuses decisively, cementing his Republican frontrunner status as he attempts to retake the White House in 2024.
Trump defeated former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday in a widely expected outcome, moving him a step closer to securing a third consecutive nomination for president.
Trump won at least 17 of the 40 delegates, with Haley and DeSantis taking five each, preliminary figures showed, with US media calling the statewide contest about 30 minutes after voting began.
Trump’s impressive victory signals his continued dominance over the Republican Party even as he faces mounting legal challenges, including four criminal charges.
On Tuesday, Trump is expected to appear in court in New York as a jury considers whether to pay further damages to a writer who won a $5 million jury award against him for sexual assault and defamation.
Trump’s legal challenges have done little to dampen his support among Republicans, many of whom view the cases against him as politically motivated.
Iowa has a mixed record of predicting the eventual Republican nominee; George W. Bush was the last Republican presidential candidate to win the state in 2000.
But the largely rural Midwestern state is seen as a key springboard for candidates vying for delegates in New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
Iowans braved dangerously cold weather and gathered at more than 1,600 schools, community centers and other locations for early voting in the 2024 presidential race.
Ahead of the Iowa caucuses, Trump’s hold on the Republican base was clear, with polls showing the businessman-turned-politician with a double-digit lead over his rivals.
Many Republican voters in Iowa see Trump as the best candidate to address their concerns about the economy, record numbers of refugees and migrants at the southern border and global instability.
“We need something different than what we are doing now. It does not work. I made more money than I ever did before, and now I’m a real estate agent more than I ever was,” David Brunell, a 32-year-old Trump supporter, told Al Jazeera before the caucuses.
“That says a lot about where the economy is.”
