Iowa Caucus 2024: Donald Trump calls for unity in victory speech
Trump called for unity, and even offered a hint of praise for his rivals, in a victory speech that seemed to regard the rest of the primary, and his selection as the Republican nominee, as a foregone conclusion.
It’s “time now, for everybody, our country, to come together,” Trump told a crowd of his supporters in Des Moines following NBC News’ projection that he would easily win the Iowa Republican presidential caucuses.
“I want to congratulate Ron and Nikki for having a good time together,” he said of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Amb. Nikki Haley. Trump noted that the second-place results were still yet to be determined.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Trump then cycled through a generalized laundry list of policies and issues he planned to address if reelected to the White House, including a plan to “seal up” the U.S.-Mexico border and “rebuild our cities.”
He also once again gave oxygen to the false conspiracy claim that his 2020 election loss was rigged, as he vowed to “straighten out our elections” and advocate for the use of paper ballots.
He had no magnanimity to spare for President Joe Biden, his likely competitor in the 2024 general election, calling him the worst president to ever to hold the office.
Trump was joined on the Des Moines stage by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a one-time Republican primary rival who endorsed Trump a day earlier, along with some of his family members and other supporters.