Former President Donald Trump speaks to Dallas County crowd in livestock building – KCCI Des Moines
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Former President Donald Trump made the first of his two stops in Iowa Monday at the Dallas County Fairgrounds.
Trump spoke to a packed room of supporters on a stage in a livestock building decorated with bales of hay, pumpkins and Iowa flags. It was his first event since a federal judge imposed a gag order on the former president.
“Today, a judge put on a gag order. I’ll be the only politician in history that runs with a gag order where I’m not allowed to criticize people. Can you imagine this? D0 you believe this? I’m not allowed to criticize people.” Trump said. “So, we’ll see. We’ll appeal it, and we’ll see. But it’s so unconstitutional.”
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird officially endorsed Trump during the event in Adel.
“He will uphold our constitution and our way of life,” Bird said.
The contrast between the Trump & Biden Admins couldn’t be more clear.
With Biden, we have soaring inflation, a border crisis, & a gov’t that thinks they can raise our kids better than us. The list goes on.
It’s time to fire Biden & put @realdonaldtrump back in the White House! pic.twitter.com/NWnXVpEk4l
Trump thanked Bird for the nomination. He said Bird is one of “the most respected people in all of politics, beyond your state, beyond anywhere.”
Dallas County is the sixth largest county in the state of Iowa. Trump won that county in 2016 and 2020. But the former president’s margin of victory shrank between the two election years. In 2016, Trump beat Hillary Clinton by nine percentage points. In 2020, he beat now-President Joe Biden by two percentage points.
One Republican strategist said doing well in that county in the caucus is important. Trump’s event focused on getting people to commit to caucus in the crowd.
Trump just walked on stage to speak to a packed room of supporters at the Dallas County Fairgrounds. @KCCINews pic.twitter.com/gUcImVJbWS
The Trump campaign told KCCI Monday that 37,000 Iowans have pledged to caucus for him to date.
KCCI spoke to Iowa voters who attended the event and who have pledged to caucus for the former president. They said they appreciated the former president’s visit Monday.
“This just gives you a taste that we’re the heartland of America,” Jerome Moulds said. “We’re rural, yeah, but we also have a vote.”
“It was typical rural Iowa. I grew up on a farm. I grew up showing cattle and horses,” Sondra Schepper said. “It was great. The setting was fabulous.”
Since Oct. 1, Trump has visited Ottumwa, Waterloo and Cedar Rapids earlier in October. He’s expected to return to northwest Iowa later this month.
Watch: Donald Trump speaks at event in Clive
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