The leading Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, announced the cancellation of his campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday due to tornado warnings in the area.
“Tornado Watch in Iowa. For safety of our great Patriots, we have been asked to delay or cancel today’s sold out Rally,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “I am near the Palm Beach Airport, ready to go, but we are on hold because of the very bad weather in Iowa. Please Seek Shelter or Safe Haven!”
In a follow-up post shortly thereafter, Trump announced his campaign was “forced to cancel” the outdoor event.
As of 5:30 p.m. ET, the National Weather Service listed a broad swath of the state, ranging from just north of Sioux City in the west through Iowa City in the east, as under “tornado watch.”
The rally was set to duel with events Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who has not announced his candidacy but is widely expected to run for president, is attending on Saturday in the Hawkeye State, including Rep. Randy Fenestra’s (R-IA) annual summer fundraiser and then a Republican Party fundraiser in Cedar Rapids.
On Friday, a poll commissioned by the Center for American Greatness and conducted by National Research showed Trump with a comfortable lead over declared candidates and other potential rivals in Iowa. Of the 500 likely GOP caucus voter participants, 44 percent support Trump in a crowded field, giving him an 18-point lead over DeSantis at 26 percent. No other candidate garners double-digit support.
Former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) sits in third place with six percent of support, followed by former Vice President Mike Pence at four percent. Three percent of respondents back businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, while former Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) tie at one percent. Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) does not garner any backing in such a field.
In a hypothetical head-to-head with DeSantis, which is unlikely, Trump’s support registers at 45 percent while DeSantis’s weighs in at 33 percent. Another 11 percent are undecided.
National Research sampled 500 likely Republican caucus voters from May 9-11, and the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.38 percentage points.