Former President Trump briefly stopped by the Iowa State Fair on Saturday. Before the plane landed in Iowa, Trump campaign senior advisor Dan Scavino shot a cool video showing the fairgrounds from above, which he shared to followers on Twitter/X:
Happening Now—Trump Force One flies over the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines…. pic.twitter.com/LXYBIDuAFq
— Dan Scavino Jr.🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) August 12, 2023
In one of the most Iowa State Fair moments, Trump was handed a pork chop on a stick.
President Trump arrives at the Iowa State Fair to chants of “U-S-A” — He gets handed a pork chop! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/FmBqCdWHc3
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 12, 2023
It appears at first that he handed it off for someone else to enjoy, so that he wouldn’t get caught eating it in an unflattering photo. But it turns out that reportedly, it was some of the over $20,000 in food Trump donated to attendees at the fair this year:
Trump campaign says the former president spent over $20,000 on food donated to fair-goers (10k at the pork tent and 10k at Steer n’ Stein).
Am here at Steer n’ Stein w/ @daveweigel — bartender confirms the 10k tab.
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) August 12, 2023
While walking through the crowds at the fair, Trump answered a reporter’s question about his past support for farmers and the farming industry. Trump boasted about his support for ethanol, and with his usual modesty, took credit for this year’s fair having the highest attendance of all time:
TRUMP IN IOWA: “Make the farmers great again!” pic.twitter.com/i0LdsywNeK
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 12, 2023
He did give some of the credit for the heavy turnout to it being “a beautiful day in Iowa.” Then, it’s unclear what question someone off-camera asked him at the end of the clip, but it appears to be about the Democrats. Trump said:
You know what? They should really try and get this country back together.What they’ve done to this country by weaponization, the things that they’re doing that are so illegal and so wrong….They are destroying our country.
It cuts off, but he begins to say something tying in the media’s culpability in it.
As he was leaving, Trump again took a media question, this time about the potential case from the Fulton County, Georgia, DA next week:
JUST NOW: Before leaving Iowa, Donald Trump tells reporters he will never take a plea deal, specifically in Georgia.
Reporter: “Is there any chance you take a plea deal in Georgia?”
Trump: “We did nothing wrong. We don't ever take a plea deal. We don't take plea deals. It's a… pic.twitter.com/UkpUBoq9bm
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 12, 2023
Trump vowed to never take a plea deal because “we did nothing wrong.” He also called the question “a wise guy question,” and said the reporter was a “wise guy.”
The Trump campaign was handing out hats ahead of the former president’s appearance.Twitter/X users immediately spotted something wrong with the writing on the hats, earning it the Community Notes treatment:
Trump’s team is giving out these hats at the Iowa state fair ahead of his visit tomorrow: pic.twitter.com/biMK0B5Qv9
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) August 11, 2023
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) did indeed beat Trump in the 2016 Iowa caucuses, 28 percent to 24 percent. (Florida Sen. Marco Rubio garnered 23 percent, by the way.) Trump acknowledged the second-place finish in a speech to supporters:
We will go on to get the Republican nomination and we will go on to easily beat Hillary or Bernie.
We finished second, and I have to say I am just honored.
