Key Moments From Donald Trump’s Iowa Rally

Former President Donald Trump spoke in Iowa on Friday to ramp up support as the Republican frontrunner heads into what could be a challenging election year.

Trump traveled to Iowa on Friday and made comments regarding this week’s school shooting; the upcoming Supreme Court ruling on whether he can run for president again; and his Republican opponents as the race for the GOP nomination continues. The former president is the current frontrunner to win the nomination, which will most likely see him go head-to-head with incumbent Joe Biden in a repeat of the 2020 presidential election.

Speaking to a crowd in Sioux Center, Trump told his supporters to turn out for the Iowa caucuses on January 15. While the MAGA leader is polling significantly ahead of his rivals in the Midwestern state, Trump is facing several significant roadblocks on his path to the White House.

Several issues could affect his chances of success on November 5, perhaps most importantly the Supreme Court decision due in February that will rule on whether he can even be on nationwide ballots. Trump is also facing numerous lawsuits and charges relating to the 2020 election and his private business dealings. He denies all wrongdoing and has repeatedly said that it is part of a political witch hunt. Newsweek contacted Donald Trump’s team via email for comment on Saturday.

While Trump last visited Iowa before the holidays, his allies have been working hard in the state to garner support ahead of the caucuses. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, both long-time Trump supporters, have been campaigning across the state in recent days.

Here are all the key moments you need to know from Trump’s latest visit on January 5.

January 6

Speaking the day before the third anniversary of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., Trump labeled those who have been charged in relation to the day as hostages, branding it one of “the saddest things in the history of our country.” Several times, the former president reiterated his long-debunked claim that the 2020 election was stolen, and said that some of the insurrectionists were part of Antifa and/or the FBI.

“By the way, there was Antifa, and there was FBI, there were a lot of other people there too leading the charge,” Trump told the crowd.

So far, more than 1,230 have been charged with federal crimes relating to the January 6, 2021 riots. Trump himself faces criminal charges relating to his alleged efforts to overturn the election and has constantly denied that he is guilty.

Trump defended his supporters who showed up in Washington D.C. three years ago. “They went there to protest a rigged election,” he said.

“Three years ago tomorrow, we saw with our own eyes the violent mob storm the United States Capitol,” President Biden said in a readout from the White House seen by Newsweek regarding the January 6 anniversary. “The entire nation watched in horror. The whole world watched in disbelief. And Trump did nothing.”

Supreme Court Reaction

This week, the Supreme Court said it would hear a historic case to determine whether Trump can run for another term in the White House. It follows Colorado’s Supreme Court ruling that he could not be on the ballot in the state, due to his involvement in the 2021 insurrection at the Capitol.

Trump described the Democratic Party judges on the Supreme Court as “radical left Democrats,” in opposition to the “Republican judges who want to go out of their way to be fair and unbiased.”

In December, Colorado’s Supreme Court voted to kick Trump off the ballot, citing a constitutional insurrection clause. It is the first-ever use of Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment to disqualify a presidential candidate. Trump has appealed to the national Supreme Court over the decision.

Iowa Shooting

Trump’s arrival in Iowa came just days after a shooting at a high school in Perry left one person dead and injured four others. Dylan Butler, 17, who was found dead at the scene, has been identified as the shooter by police.

However, while Trump offered his sympathies to those affected by Thursday morning’s shooting, he also said “we have to get over it.”

“I want to send our support and our deepest sympathies to the victims and families touched by the terrible school shooting yesterday in Perry, Iowa,” Trump said. “To the entire community: we love you, we pray for you, and we ask to heal and comfort.

“It’s terrible to see that happening,” Trump added. “Just horrible, so surprising to see it here. But [we] have to get over it. We have to move forward.”

Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis

Trump has recently ramped up attacks on Republican rival Nikki Haley as support grows for the former U.S. Ambassador in some Republican circles. “Nikki Haley has been in the pocket of the open borders establishment donors her entire career,” Trump said. “She’s a globalist.”

Trump also branded Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, per the Associated Press, as “establishment losers and sellouts” who are “lagging far behind us in the Republican primary cannot be trusted on taxes, on trade, or anything else.” He warned his supporters: “They’ll betray you just like they betrayed me.”

Other Key Moments

Several clips of the rally have made the rounds on social media, including clips of Trump dancing and appearing to make a light-hearted jibe at the state of Iowa.

Speaking about his campaign in the area, which is scheduled to continue throughout the weekend, Trump said: “You know what I have to do, I have to make speeches in Iowa tomorrow. I have to go work. I could be home in one of those beautiful places, no, but I have to.” It is unclear exactly where the “beautiful places” Trump is referring to are.

Trump also made some more baffling comments about how magnets work. He said he was largely ignorant about magnets, raising the issue in connection with so-called “magnetic elevators.”

“They had an almost billion-dollar cost over on the magnetic elevators,” Trump said. “Think of it. Magnets. Now, all I know about magnets is this: give me a glass of water; let me drop it on the magnets. That’s the end of the magnets.”

Trump was also filmed dancing in clips posted on X, formerly Twitter. While walking away from his lectern, he can be seen clapping before proceeding to dance for the applauding crowd.