Donald Trump sets stage in Davenport for 3rd GOP nomination bid

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - Former President Donald Trump made a visit to Iowa Monday Night as he seeks his third Republican presidential nomination.

He kicked off his campaign for the GOPs first-in-the-nation caucus at the Adler Theater in Davenport.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds introduced Trump to a packed crowd while comparing his tenure to President Joe Biden’s

“[The Biden administration] is such a contrast to the Trump administration,” Reynolds said. “Where Iowa families, farmers and small businesses won.”

As this caucus cycle gets going, the former president is confident he could win Iowa in the general election a third time.

“We won this wonderful state,” Trump said. “This is the greatest. We won Iowa twice.”

Doors for the event opened at 3 p.m. Supporters and opponents lined the streets of Downtown Davenport before the event

“He’s got a good vision for this country,” Bruce Abington, a Trump supporter from Rock Island said. “We definitely need a new vision.”

“I think it would be a big mistake if we re-elected him,” Kay Pence, a Scott County Democrat said.

Trump started his remarks by touching on Iowa farms and its ethanol industry.

“I fought for Iowa ethanol like no president in history,” Trump said. “I appreciate the farmers — how smart they are, how good they are and how hard they work. Nobody in history did more for farmers of our country — the great farmers — than I did.”

Trump also touched on parental rights in the classroom, a topic on both the national and state stages. He vowed to break up the U.S. Department of Education.

“I want to congratulate Iowa on recently becoming the second state in the nation to deliver universal school choice,” Trump said.

With national speculation around the future of Social Security and Medicare, Trump took a stance against some in the Republican Party.

“I will not be cutting medicare,” Trump said. “I will not be cutting social security.”

A campaign aide said about 3,500 people were in attendance on Monday night. However, according to VenuWorks, the Adler’s management company, the theater’s capacity is about 2,400.

The former president’s visit comes as presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, and rumored GOP candidate Ron DeSantis visited Iowa last week.

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