"The question is: Can he win against Biden in a rematch in November 2024?" Elder said. Haley called Trump's absence a "mistake," and candidate and conservative commentator Larry Elder said he didn't believe Trump could win in the general election. Though direct criticisms of the front-runner were absent from their public remarks, several candidates dinged Trump in interviews with the Register for failing to attend the event, as well as not being the best choice for Republicans.
#Reddit tumblr roast series#
(Trump visited Iowa earlier this week for a series of smaller campaign stops.) "I'm not going to do a rally and leave you," Haley said.
Haley, a former South Carolina governor, promised a consistent presence in Iowa, then took a subtle poke at Trump's usual style of campaigning.
The former vice president, asked early in the day what his lane in the race would be, responded with a joke: "I'm more worried about the lane we're going to be staying in today." And he teased his coming campaign announcement, declaring, "I'm going to do it here in Iowa."
#Reddit tumblr roast Patch#
He donned his own leather vest, featuring a patch from his home state of Indiana. Pence, who is expected to formally enter the race next week in Iowa, was the sole candidate to join Ernst on the ride from Big Barn Harley-Davidson. "I will lean into all the issues that matter." "I don't just make idle promises that when I get into office I forget," DeSantis said. He received a standing ovation before his remarks, in which he touted his conservative record in Florida. Back in Iowa after a trip through the state earlier this week, he shook hands and handed out signatures - including one on a letter a woman said she wrote him a year ago, addressed to "the future president of the United States."ĭeSantis continued to embrace the retail politics of Iowa, trying cotton candy-flavored ice cream while his wife, Casey, and his kids played with puppies. Just before riders arrived at the fairgrounds Saturday, DeSantis attracted a mob of supporters and press next to the bus owned by Never Back Down, the super PAC backing him. They talked about their upbringings, their parents, the value of hard work and how America is a country of opportunity, not racism. Volunteers and staff from the campaign roamed the event at the Animal Learning Center, planting Trump signs, donning T-shirts and manning a booth alongside the rest of the campaigns.Īttempting to carve a path through the first caucus state and chip away at Trump's support, his Republican challengers used their time to familiarize themselves with voters and outline their priorities. Though Trump wasn't present - he has often disdained group events in favor of holding his own rallies - he still loomed large at the Roast and Ride. "It is strong, but at the same time, people don't want to hear about what has happened in the past because we've had two years of a Biden administration that is destroying our nation." Though Trump was absent, he loomed large at the Roast and Ride "I know that President Trump has a great base," Ernst said. Instead, they reserved their rhetorical punches for Biden, the federal government and left-leaning policies they disdainfully dismissed as "wokeism."Įrnst praised the range of messages and issues from the field in comments to reporters after the event, saying, "I think there are a lot of folks that want to move forward." She, too, stayed on message when asked about balancing attitudes and factions within the GOP. "It's time to kick Joe Biden out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue," Ernst, who donned a leather Harley-Davidson vest on the ride, shouted in her introductory remarks.Īfter she rallied the crowd around conservative causes and opposition to the president, candidates began to lobby themselves to Iowans as the leader of that opposition.įormer President Donald Trump, who remains the front-runner, was the only major candidate not present, but his rivals for the GOP nomination declined to take the opportunity to directly attack him - or even mention his name. Ambassador Nikki Haley and other candidates courting support in the Hawkeye State. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, U.S. Joni Ernst's annual "Roast and Ride" event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines.Įrnst's motorcycle ride and subsequent circuit of presidential speeches marked a key "cattle call" for Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucus season, featuring a growing Republican field that included Florida Gov. Their objective was uniform: Defeating President Joe Biden and America's "woke" left.Įight of the Republican Party's top presidential candidates stayed on message and avoided attacking each other Saturday at U.S. Their messages echoed nearly identical themes: Unity, patriotism and American exceptionalism.
0 kommentar(er)
