Former President Donald Trump will partake in one of the first staples of the GOP presidential primary from afar.
His campaign announced Wednesday that he would deliver remarks at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s 23rd Annual Spring Kickoff on April 22 as he seeks to shore up support among evangelical voters.
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“President Trump has long supported the great patriots of Iowa and the Faith and Freedom Coalition, having first addressed the conference in September 2015,” his campaign said. “Last month, thousands of Iowans — representing 77 counties — packed the Adler Theater in Davenport to show their support for President Trump.”
Evangelical voters are a core voting bloc within the Republican Party. Trump had near ironclad support from them after clinching the party nod in the 2016 cycle, though some analysts have flagged signs of cracks in their support this election as other GOP hopefuls jump into the race.
Other likely 2024 rivals who are expected to speak at the premiere faith-based cattle call include former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR), and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Heavyweight Republicans invited to the event include Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH).
Trump, who launched his campaign in November, stumped in Davenport, Iowa, last month.
Earlier this month, he was arraigned on a 34-count indictment for what prosecutors described as a “catch and kill” scheme to quash negative stories about him in the 2016 election cycle. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg alleged that Trump falsified records to conceal the scheme. Trump has denied wrongdoing.
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Trump famously lost Iowa in 2016 to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) but is entering the primary as the presumptive front-runner.
His top 2024 primary rival, DeSantis, is set to attend a fundraiser for Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) in the state on May 13.
