DES MOINES, Iowa — A tornado watch forced former President Donald Trump to abruptly cancel a planned outdoor rally here Saturday, the same day his top potential challenger for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, met with voters in the state.
Trump, who had not yet departed from Palm Beach, Fla., promised in a Truth Social post that he would reschedule the rally soon.
"Please Seek Shelter or Safe Haven!" he wrote in one of a pair of posts about the rally.
The decision averted a highly anticipated clash-of-the-titans weekend in the state that will hold the nation's first primary contest next year. Earlier in the day, DeSantis mingled with voters at Iowa Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra's annual family picnic event in Sioux Center, in the western part of the state.
Craig Robinson, a longtime Republican operative, described Trump's planned rally as an attempt to "squash" attention for DeSantis' appearances Saturday. DeSantis was also scheduled to headline a state party fundraising event in Cedar Rapids.
Trump holds a 31 percentage point lead over DeSantis in the Real Clear Politics average of national polling, with other candidates registering in single digits. There has been scant polling in Iowa, and Republican insiders say DeSantis — who picked up endorsements from 37 GOP state legislators this week — will have an opportunity to make the case to voters that he is a better choice than the frontrunner.
