TRUMP EMERGES VICTORIOUS
In a victory that comes as a surprise to no one, former President Donald Trump emerged victorious in the first electoral contest of the 2024 political season.
No Republican had ever won the Iowa caucuses with a margin of more than 12 percent—until now. President Trump won the race with 51 percent support—nearly 30 points higher than the distant runner-up, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Former President and Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump arrives at a watch party during the 2024 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 15, 2024. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
In a resounding validation of his frontrunner status in the race, the former president was called the winner of the race only 32 minutes after the caucuses began.
DeSantis received 21.2 percent support.
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley came in third with 19.1 percent of the vote.
Following his victory, Trump struck a conciliatory tone in his victory speech, saying that his two closest rivals “both did very well.”
“I really think this is the time now for everybody in our country to come together,” Trump said. “We want to come together. Whether it’s Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, it would be so nice if we could come together.”
Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy came in fourth place with roughly 8 percent of the vote.
While that was a respectable showing, it was far short of the threshold he needed to achieve the upset he hoped for.
In a speech after the contest, Ramaswamy acknowledged that, after running a campaign based on the motto of “truth,” he had to admit to himself that he had no path to the White House.
Ramaswamy announced to jeers and sighs that he was dropping out of the race and endorsing Trump, who he called the only other “America First candidate in this race.”
The race largely vindicated the projections of earlier polls.
In the final poll taken ahead of the race, Trump was the favorite for 48 percent of voters. Haley received 20 percent, DeSantis 16 percent, and Ramaswamy eight percent.
DeSantis and Haley, meanwhile, insist that they’re still in the fight.
Immediately after making their speeches about the results, Haley will be going to an event in New Hampshire, where she’s focused much of her electoral attention. DeSantis is en route to South Carolina.
The next electoral contest of the 2024 election season will be held in New Hampshire on Jan. 23, just over a week after the Iowa contest.
—Joseph Lord and Janice Hisle
BIDEN BALLOT BATTLE?
As former President Donald Trump continues to fight challenges to his primary ballot eligibility around the country, President Joe Biden may soon be in the same boat.
An objection voters filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections holds that the 14th Amendment bars Biden from the ballot because his border policies have given “aid and comfort” to the enemies of the United States.
Terry Newsome, a Chicago-area father, said he was proud to sign on to that petition.
“The Republicans don’t fight back enough on stuff—it’s kind of sickening,” Newsome said. “These Democrats don’t care. They just brutally attack our side with all kinds of crazy stuff like the Colorado [ruling] and the Republicans don’t do anything. So, I’m proud to be a part of this and call them out and see what happens.”
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear Trump’s appeal of the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to strike him from the state’s primary ballot.
Newsome said he hopes the nation’s High Court will restore Trump to the ballot. But if not: “At least we have something to push back on Biden.”
As a parent who spoke out against pornography in his kids’ school, Newsome has been a frequent target of left-wing agitator groups like Antifa.
Since he signed the petition, the Capgemini principal said the doxxing attacks and attempts to get him fired have ramped up.
“They’ve been tagging my CEO—my North American CEO—they tagged Harvard, they tagged Bloomberg because we do things with them.”
Newsome is seeking legal counsel and still intends to be at the Jan. 17 hearing when the State Elections Board will assess his petition.
A second objection that challenges Biden’s eligibility under state law will also be heard. That petition holds that his statement of candidacy was not properly notarized according to the state’s election laws.
—Samantha Flom
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- Trump, Haley, and DeSantis hold campaign events on the heels of the Iowa caucuses.
- The House Rules Committee debated the contempt-of-Congress resolution against Hunter Biden.
- Jury selection begins in the civil trial in the defamation case against Trump brought by E. Jean Carroll.
Bankers, financiers, and business moguls in the World Economic Forum worry that if Americans re-elect President Donald Trump, they’ll find themselves facing a much more anti-global United States than they did during his first term, Politico reports.
Americans won’t only be picking their next president this year. They’ll also be casting their ballots for the House of Representatives, where Republicans hold a slim majority. The Epoch Times’ Joseph Lord and Jackson Richman explored the top 24 House races to watch as the 2024 election season begins.
Recently, many states have adopted legislation to put into place some form of school choice program. The Epoch Times’ Jackson Elliott reported on parents’ battle to choose where they send their children to school—a battle they’re starting to win.
The Biden administration has emphasized the development of solar energy and emphasizing U.S. electric vehicle infrastructure. Now, there are concerns that Chinese products could undercut U.S. manufacturers of these goods, The New York Times reports.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs detected early in the push for COVID-19 vaccination that it posed risks to heart health. But it never disclosed its worries, The Epoch Times’ Zachary Stieber reported in an exclusive article.
