The Donald comes to The Moines

 

Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in 2016 by a result of 51-41 (Yes, Independents and Third Party candidates were popular in 2016- getting anywhere between 4-10% in every county in the state). 

Iowa was not going to be a battleground state. While some former solid red states like Texas might be in play, Iowa surely was so firmly red that both parties could mark it off their list. 

But that does not appear to be the case, and it’s probably why Mike Pence has been to the state five times in ten months, and this week, Donald Trump made a post-Covid stop. 

The big news was the sign (not that far away from Iowa Democratic Party headquarters if we’re being honest) referencing the rally as The Trump Covid Superspreader Event. 

Was it?  Well, I know people who went and to take it a step further, a high risk person.   I will definitely have an answer. 

The truth is it kind of touched me. Although I would rank my support for Trump last (note: remember to talk up ranked choice voting), there is still something about going to see the President.  It is an occasion, that few Americans may experience and a memory that will last a lifetime.  

Governor Kim Reynolds who has been loose on restrictions appeared at the rally without a mask and was flinging MAGA hats to the crowd. 

Reynolds and Sen Joni Ernst both appeared at the GOP convention and have tied their political careers as close to Trump’s as anyone. Reynolds saw nothing wrong with the event, saying 'they have a right to peacefully assemble.  It was noted chairs were distanced, though not more than six feet and the bleachers were filled.

On tv, a middle aged woman told the news that she’s not afraid to go and if she dies, she dies.

 

Iowa’s greatest athlete Dan Gable (Olympic gold medal winning wrestler from the 1972 Olympics) introduced Trump. Gable has been presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. No doubt, Gable deserves it- considered perhaps the best Olympic performance of all time and a solid 31 year career as a college wrestling coach with 15 National Titles. He was recommended for the award by a bipartisan group of Congressmen. 

Gable is a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame located in Stillwater, Oklahoma (originally located in Iowa) which has two wings- a Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame honoring Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes and others, and the UWWHoF which includes Gable, Olympic Champion Bruce Baumgartner, and great amateur athletes from over 20 countries. 

Donald Trump is also a Wrestling Hall of Famer. He is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame inductee in 2013. Besides Hulk Hogan, Captain Lou Albano et al, other members of the Hall of the Fame include Pete Rose, Mike Tyson and William ‘Refrigerator’ Perry. 

Gable called Trump the ‘already One time champion.’ then added “But because he’s open for learning and he’s already very competent, he’s going to be a multi-champion president of the United States of America.”

Trump urged the 71 year old Gable to join him onstage as Trump said “I’m immune and I can’t give it to you,” though they largely stood apart and used separate microphones. 

Though not technically wrong, Trump compared Gable to Jack Nicklaus (all greats at their sports, though Trump tellingly only used golfers in his metaphor) 

The biggest news to come out of the event was Trump asking for a national full return to school as Barron Trump had contacted and recovered from Covid. Well, let’s use Trumps words

'Barron Trump you know he had the corona 19, the China virus. It's got 20 different names, but to me Corona means Italy. 'China is China, and it came from China so he had the China virus, right?

'And he had it for such a short period of time, I don't even think he knew he had it.

'Because they're young and their immune systems are strong and they fight it off.'

He said Barron had the virus for 'like two seconds' before testing negative.

'Because people have it and it goes,' he said. 'Get the kids back to school, you've got to get the kids back to school. Get em back.'

Of note, I am sure many in the crowd cheering the President also homeschool their children. In 2011, Herman Cain, Michele Bachman and Ron Paul drew over 1,000 attendees at a Home School Rally.  It has been a cornerstone of Iowa Republican  politics since.

Iowa had 2 percent of kids homeschool pre-Covid, the governor is a very vocal supporter of home schooling and Trump, and there is a southeastern Iowa district where as many as 1 in 4 Kids home school (Trump won this county by twenty percentage points and it hasn’t voted majority democratic since LBJ).