After a giant win in the Iowa caucus, former President Donald Trump took a gracious tone in his victory speech, and talked about issues such as border security, energy independence and paying down the national debt.
“I really think this is time now for everybody, our country, to come together,” Trump told his supporters. “We want to come together, whether … Republican or Democrat or liberal or conservative.”
Trump went on to talk about his opponents.
“I want to congratulate Ron and Nikki for having a good time together. We are all having a good time together. And I think they both actually did very well, I do. They both did very well,” Trump said, referring to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantisand former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
He added, referring to Ohio businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, “I also want to congratulate Vivek. He did a hell of a job, going from zero, and he’s getting about 8%.”
Trump was expected to win all 99 Iowa counties.
After Trump’s remarks, with about 97% of the vote, he had 51% of the vote, to DeSantis at 21.2%, and Nikki Haley at 19%, according to the Wall Street Journal. Ramaswamy garnered 7.7%, and announced to his supporters he was dropping out.
Seeming to assume the mantle of the nominee before the next contest in New Hampshire, Trump was less generous toward his foe, President Joe Biden, who defeated him in 2020.
“I don’t want to be overly rough on the president, but I have to say that he is the worst president that we have had in the history of our country,” Trump said. “He’s destroying our country. … I thought to myself, Jimmy Carter is happy now. Because he will go down as being a brilliant president by comparison to Joe Biden.”
Biden posted a fundraising appeal on X Monday night, writing, “Looks like Donald Trump just won Iowa. He’s the clear front runner on the other side at this point. But here’s the thing: this election was always going to be you and me vs. extreme MAGA Republicans. It was true yesterday and it’ll be true tomorrow.”
Looks like Donald Trump just won Iowa. He’s the clear front runner on the other side at this point.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 16, 2024
But here’s the thing: this election was always going to be you and me vs. extreme MAGA Republicans. It was true yesterday and it’ll be true tomorrow.
So if you’re with us, chip…
In his remarks, Trump also talked about what might be a historic victory.
“They said 12%, that’s a big win, hard to do. I think we more than doubled it, tripled it maybe,” Trump said. “They said we will never get over 50%. When I left and we were at 54%.”
In 2016, Trump finished second in Iowa, with 24% of the vote, while Sen. Ted Cruz won with 27% of the vote.
Trump vowed to the crowd that if he wins another term, “We are going to seal up the border.”
He talked more about Biden’s border crisis.
“We have an invasion of millions and millions of people that are coming into our country. I can’t imagine why they think that’s a good thing,” Trump said.
“Hundreds and hundreds of terrorists are coming, known terrorists,” Trump said of the border. “Some of them really bad. Many of them came in and nobody knows where they are. This is not a good thing, and we’re going to deport. We’re going to have a deportation level that we haven’t seen in this country for a long time, since Dwight Eisenhower, actually.”
Trump also said, “We are going to drill, baby, drill. Right away. Drill, drill.”
“We have to bring down our energy. I say all the time we have more liquid gold under our feet than any other nation anywhere in the world,” Trump said.
Trump took a shot at the news media, declaring, “If the fake news would be real and honest news, 90% of our problems in this country would be solved.”
Trump further added he will address China.
“We’re not going to let China do what they would like to do,” Trump said. “I get along great with him also, President Xi [Jinping], he’s a strong leader. We will get things solid.”
He also said if he returns to the White House, “the Ukraine war [will be] solved, the Israeli situation solved.”
Fred Lucas is chief news correspondent and manager of the Investigative Reporting Project for The Daily Signal. Original here. Reproduced with permission.
