Former President Donald Trump was the center of attention in the Hawkeye State on Saturday, as the leading GOP candidate for president in 2024 partied with an Iowa State fraternity, flipped burgers, and even threw footballs into the crowd of those gathered to see him.
Iowa State University, based in Ames, Iowa, faced off Saturday against in-state rival University of Iowa, in Ames. Before the game, Trump visited the Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) agriculture fraternity house–where he threw footballs lined up on a beer pong table into the crowd of those gathered to see him.
The scouting report on @realDonaldTrump is that he has an absolute cannon of an arm! pic.twitter.com/QX7jS79WXZ
— Steven Cheung (@TheStevenCheung) September 9, 2023
A huge crowd was waiting there for him:
Huge crowd at the Alpha Gamma Ro Fraternity House for President @realDonaldTrump! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/gLeyZ1WpTd
— Margo Martin (@margommartin) September 9, 2023
Pre-game at Iowa State with @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/Mq1L1H1F0M
— Margo Martin (@margommartin) September 9, 2023
Trump even flipped some burgers on scene:
President @realDonaldTrump flipping burgers at Iowa State University! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/hUjBVEFeoW
— Margo Martin (@margommartin) September 9, 2023
Trump stopped for a photo with the frat before heading to the game:
President @realDonaldTrump with the members of the Alpha Gamma Ro Agriculture Fraternity House pic.twitter.com/SqROrzXB2v
— Margo Martin (@margommartin) September 9, 2023
“You’re young, handsome… I’d trade you right now!” – @realDonaldTrump speaking to fraternity members pic.twitter.com/hXpi3abvYU
— Margo Martin (@margommartin) September 9, 2023
When Trump arrived at the game, too, the crowd went wild:
President @realDonaldTrump arrives at Jack Trice Stadium! pic.twitter.com/uihKKazQ14
— Margo Martin (@margommartin) September 9, 2023
Here is video of Trump mixing it up with the crowd:
President @realDonaldTrump waving to the crowd at Iowa State University! pic.twitter.com/1ovLleGeOA
— Margo Martin (@margommartin) September 9, 2023
Iowa loves President @realDonaldTrump!!! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/9qwAofFr2Z
— Margo Martin (@margommartin) September 9, 2023
The latest polling out of Iowa, conducted by pollster Civiqs in conjunction with Iowa State, shows Trump currently at majority support there with 51 percent ahead of January’s caucuses. The next closest candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, trails Trump in Iowa by 37 percent–DeSantis has dropped down to just 14 percent support–as his campaign now admits he might not win Iowa. DeSantis’s team had previously signaled he needed to win Iowa to keep his long-shot hopes alive, but now aides for the Florida governor’s struggling 2024 White House bid told Politico this week that if he comes in at least a “strong second” he thinks he will be okay. Illogically, DeSantis’s team even says they can still win the nomination without winning any states.
“I don’t think there’s a single state we have to win,” a DeSantis campaign official told Politico.
Trump on Friday night just won the endorsement of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, whose state borders Iowa. Noem had been considered at one point a possible contender for the 2024 campaign, but decided instead quite clearly to back Trump.
