Iowa caucus 2024: Donald Trump wins first Republican contest, delivers speech at Des Moines

After winning the Iowa caucuses, Donlad Trump said he believes that "this is time now for everybody, our country, to come together" whether a person is "a Republican or a Democrat or liberal or conservative."

"If it would be so nice if we could come together and straighten out the world and straighten out the problems and straighten out all of the death and destruction that we're witnessing, that's practically never been like this," he said.

"It's just so important. And I want to make that a very big part of our message," the former president added. "We're going to come together. It's going to happen soon too."

Nikki Haley has now turned her attention to New Hampshire after coming third in the Iowa caucuses. As per a CNN poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire, Haley stands within even percentage points of Donald Trump, who won the Iowa caucuses.

"When you look at how we're doing in New Hampshire, in South Carolina and beyond, I can safely say tonight Iowa made this Republican Primary a two-person race," Haley said

Ron DeSantis appreciated Iowa voters after taking second place in the caucuses. “They threw everything but the kitchen sink at us,” DeSantis said. “They even called the election before people even got a chance to vote,” he added as the crowd booed.

“Because of your support, in spite of all of that they threw at us, everyone against us, we got our ticket punched out of Iowa,” the governor said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken the second place in the Iowa Republican caucuses, a race call by The Associated Press said. Nikki Haley took the third place.

After dropping out of the race, Vivek Ramaswamy said that he has decided to attend a rally in New Hampshire with Donald Trump. "There needs to be an America First candidate in this race,” Ramaswamy said. "Going forward, he will have my full endorsement for the presidency."

“Tomorrow we're likely — I'm going to appear with Donald Trump at a rally in New Hampshire to lay out what I see and what we see for the future of the country,” he added.

Two days before the Iowa caucuses, Donald Trump criticised Vivek Ramaswamy publicly for the first time. "Vivek started his campaign as a great supporter, 'the best President in generations,' etc. Unfortunately, now all he does is disguise his support in the form of deceitful campaign tricks," Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

The attack stemmed from shirts saying 'Save Trump, Vote Vivek' that Ramaswamy's campaign had been handing out. Ramaswamy posted a photo with a group of men wearing those shirts, which came to Trump's notice.

After a poor performance in the Iowa caucuses, the first contest of the 2024 Republican presidential race, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy announced on Monday that he is dropping out of the campaign….Read More

With a substantial portion of the vote already secured, Trump took to the stage to express gratitude to his supporters and family, acknowledging the fierce competition for second place between Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis.

Extending appreciation, he thanked U.S. senators and representatives who made the journey to Iowa, then proceeded to offer congratulations to his opponents. In his words, "I want to congratulate Ron and Nikki for having a good time together; we're all having a good time together. They both did very well."

Trump also commended Ramaswamy, stating, "Ramaswamy did a hell of a job."

A senior campaign official informed CNN that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is committed to staying in the 2024 race, asserting, "He's earned his ticket out of Iowa."

Addressing the audience from his campaign headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, after the projected victory in the state's caucuses, former President Donald Trump expressed gratitude, stating, "Above all, we want to extend our thanks to the wonderful people of Iowa."

He continued, "I genuinely believe it's now time for everyone, our nation, to unite together."

As precinct results stream in from across Iowa, revealing a competitive race between Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis for the second spot, a source close to Haley's campaign indicates that they are content with the current state of affairs, aligning with their expectations.

Amidst gatherings at her campaign headquarters in West Des Moines, Haley's team is maintaining a guarded stance, refraining from commenting on the emerging numbers in the Iowa caucuses.

Once again, the sentiment echoes among many Iowa Republicans witnessing Donald Trump's decisive triumph tonight, dashing hopes that the state could impede his steady march toward the nomination.

GOP contenders Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley find themselves entrenched in a fierce battle for second place, yet if the substantial margin of victory endures, Trump stands as the primary beneficiary of the divided vote.

"Does it even matter?" queried a prominent Iowa Republican to CNN. "Tonight is a Trump coronation."
Iowa has adhered to its traditional role of winnowing the field and potentially anointing the Republican nominee. Trump is poised to shatter two records: surpassing George W. Bush's 41% winning figure and eclipsing Bob Dole's 13-point victory in 1988.

In an address to caucus-goers in Des Moines, Iowa, Nikki Haley urged them to elect a "conservative new generational leader" while pointing out the need for voter courage to focus on the ultimate goal of defeating President Biden.

She stated, "If you want to move forward with no chaos. If you want to move forward with no more vendettas. If you want to move forward with a sense of hope … join us in this caucus. I ask for your vote, and my promise to you is I will make sure every day I focus on what it takes to make you proud."

Haley and Ron DeSantis are locked in a closse battle for second place in the Iowa caucuses.

Former President Donald Trump, officially declared the winner of the Iowa Caucuses by the Associated Press and other organizations, is set to speak to his supporters at the campaign's watch party in Des Moines at 9:30 p.m. CT, as confirmed by a senior advisor.

Supporters of Donald Trump at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa, were mildly surprised by the early call on Monday night, but not stunned.

“He was going to win anyway, so it’s not a big deal,” said Vickie Froehlich, 69, a farmer from Kenyon, Minn., who came down to join the celebration. Froehlich dismissed the idea that the quick call was a form of “election interference.”

“The caucuses were already happening,” she said.

“They had their minds made up.”

President Biden's campaign wasted no time seizing on Trump's projected win in Iowa on Monday night, swiftly reaching out to supporters with a call to "protect all of the progress" achieved during his administration and secure his stay in the White House for another four years.

According to the email sent out by the campaign, "The Iowa results are in, and it's clear: Donald Trump is the official frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination."

In response to the results, President Biden emphasized the need for increased efforts, stating, "We need to work even harder now."

As the 34% of the Iowa caucus vote count, former President Donald Trump maintains a substantial lead, securing 51.9% of the votes.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to secure the second-place position with a 20.7% share of the vote, while former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley maintains a hold on the third spot with 19% of the caucus vote.

Vivek Ramaswamy commands 7.7% of the vote, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson trails behind with a minimal 0.2% share of the votes.

Former President Donald Trump expressed being "invigorated" and "greatly honored" in response to CNN's projection of his victory in the Iowa caucuses.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Trump conveyed his satisfaction, stating, "I feel great. I am greatly honored by such an early call."

Reflecting on the swift announcement of his win, Trump remarked, "It really is an honor that, minutes after, they’ve announced I’ve won — against very credible competition — great competition, actually."

The former president underscored the significance of the moment, saying, "It is a tremendous thing and a tremendous feeling."

Less than an hour after the doors closed, the Associated Press declared Donald Trump the winner of the 2024 Iowa Caucuses precisely at 7:31 pm local time. The decision was reached with only eight counties reporting their results, employing a blend of entrance polling and survey data from planned voters conducted by AP.

These eight counties, as per AP, mirrored the demographics and political ideology of other sizable precincts yet to disclose their results. The call by AP was substantiated by analysis from elections experts, researchers, and seasoned race callers.

With a mere 6% of the Iowa caucus votes tallied, former President Donald Trump commands the lead, securing approximately 49.5% of the vote.

Following closely in second place is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, capturing 22.4% of the early results.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is in third place, not far behind, with a substantial 20.6% share of the votes.

Vivek Ramaswamy claims 7.1% of the vote, while former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson lags behind, rounding out the field with just 0.2% of the votes.

Donald Trump Jr. claimed that his father’s victory on Monday night was undeniable, no matter how small the gap. He accused Donald Trump’s rivals of trying to prolong the primary race by setting up unrealistic standards, noting that the highest ever win in a competitive Republican caucus was Bob Dole’s 12-point lead.

He said to reporters at the Franklin Jr. High caucus site in Des Moines, “I’d love to have it be a good victory. But everyone says he’s gonna win by statistically impossible margins. And then if he does one point less than that – which would be an absolute drubbing – they’ll say, ‘He underperformed! There’s blood in the water!’”

Barron Trump also cheered for his dad.

Donald Trump visited Iowa and urged voters to support him. He said, “This is the beginning of something very important. I think it’s the most important election in the history of our country.” He praised his Iowa wins and called Biden “the worst and most corrupt president in the history of our country.”