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DES MOINES, Iowa – Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his top rival for the Republican presidential nomination, didn’t come face to face as they separately courted voters on Saturday at the Iowa State Fair.
But DeSantis took aim at Trump, the commanding front-runner for their party’s 2024 nomination, and supporters of the former president repeatedly heckled the Florida governor as he made his way around the fairgrounds, a necessary stop for White House hopefuls in the state that kicks off the GOP presidential nominating calendar.
DeSantis — who’s trying to change the narrative after a series of setbacks the past two months, which triggered weeks of negative stories spotlighting his campaign’s overspending, staff layoffs, change of leadership and other stumbles — had planned for a couple of weeks to campaign at the state fair on Saturday.
PENCE SAYS TRUMP MISSED AN OPPORTUNITY AT THE IOWA STATE FAIR
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, shakes hands with supporters after joining Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (right) at her ‘fair side chats’ at the Iowa State Fair, on August 12, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Trump, who starting targeting DeSantis months before the Florida governor officially announced his candidacy in late May, announced on Tuesday that he would show up at the state fair on the same day as the Florida governor, to likely grab the spotlight from his rival.
“We’ve now done 38 out of the 99 counties. We did six counties yesterday,” DeSantis touted as he spotlighted his barnstorming campaign through the first caucus state. “That’s really what it’s all about. And when you go there you bring the message. People do respond. We’re seeing that on the ground.”
THESE GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES HAVE QUALIFIED TO MAKE THE DEBATE STAGE AT THE FOX NEWS SHOWDOWN
But DeSantis, as he sat down with Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa for her “fair side chats,” was met with…
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