Former US President Donald Trump kicked off his electoral campaign in Iowa on Saturday with rallies where he pledged to win “for the third time,” precisely three years after his supporters stormed the Capitol in Washington.
Iowa, a small Midwestern state, will hold caucuses on Monday, January 15, marking the start of the Republican primaries leading up to the November 2024 elections, which now hold unprecedented significance in half a century.
Despite facing four criminal cases, Trump, aspiring to be re-elected in November and return to the White House on January 20, 2025, addressed voters for the first time in eight days since his tumultuous exit from the US presidency in 2021.
In a lengthy two-hour speech before his supporters in Newton on Saturday, Trump did not delve into the events of January 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the Capitol fueled by his false claims of election fraud. However, he referred to those imprisoned for their involvement as “hostages” and promised to pardon many if elected.
Mocking Democratic President Joe Biden, his likely rival in the November elections, Trump accused him of being responsible for the country’s economic decline, fostering chaos at the borders, and failing to halt Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He declared, “I would have absolutely stopped Putin.”
Warning of a Third World War if Biden is re-elected, Trump stated, “This is our last chance to save America.”
Despite ongoing legal setbacks and the risk of imprisonment for his attempts to overturn the results of the November 2020 presidential elections, polls attribute 60% of the vote in the Republican primary to Trump. His strong lead positions him against key opponents, including former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The January 6 attack on the Capitol three years ago remains a deeply divisive issue in the US A quarter of American voters and 44% of Trump supporters, without evidence, believe that the federal law enforcement agency (FBI) is responsible for the incident, according to a joint survey by The Washington Post and the University of Maryland.
While the FBI announced three arrests in Florida on Saturday related to the Capitol incidents, Biden, who strongly criticized Trump on Friday, has no public events scheduled for this weekend, according to the White House.
The upcoming trial in Washington, starting on March 4, will investigate Trump’s role in attempting to reverse the election results. This crucial legal development coincides with “Super Tuesday” in mid-March, involving primary elections in several states, including Texas, California, Colorado, and Maine.
Trump’s name remains on the Republican primary voting lists, pending a Supreme Court decision in February regarding his eligibility for the presidency. The Court addressed the matter on Friday, and while the decision is pending, Trump continues to be a prominent figure in the Republican primary race.