Trump's unyielding Iowa victory. Wins 98 out of 99 counties and vows to reunite divided nation
The results published by the state Republican Party show that Trump won in 98 of the 99 counties in the state, receiving over 55,000 votes. This made him the first candidate in the history of the Iowa primary to win more than half of the votes.
3:47 AM EST, January 16, 2024
The fourth in the race was Vivek Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old investor of Indian origin. Ramaswamy announced his withdrawal from the campaign and supported Trump in the ongoing competition. He received just under 8 percent of the vote.
In his victory speech, the former president adopted a conciliatory tone, promising the divided country would unite soon. However, he shortly launched familiar rally attacks against Democrats, communists, Marxists, and fascists, as well as the media. He also stated that he would "resolve Ukraine and Israel".
"Russia would never attack Ukraine if I were president. Putin and I got along very well, which is a good thing, not a bad thing," Trump insisted. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis came second in the primary election with 20 percent of the votes, and former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley received 18.3 percent.
The primaries in the farming state of Iowa traditionally kick off a series of votes that determine the party's candidate for the November elections. The next event will take place on January 23 in New Hampshire. Despite deciding on appointing only 40 out of over 2,500 delegates to the Republican Party Convention, these events are crucial. The candidates' campaigns have been heavily focused here for months, and the result in Iowa can heavily influence a campaign's future success or failure.
Trump: I would not aid Europe in the event of an attack
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the political news website Politico reported that Donald Trump told the Chairwoman of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in 2020 that he would never aid Europe in the case of an attack and that NATO is "dead", quoting Commissioner Thierry Breton.
"You have to understand, if Europe is attacked, we will never come to your aid and support," Trump is reported to have stated.
"Whether we fulfill our obligations to NATO depends on how they treat us," Trump said on Thursday, reflecting fears that if re-elected for a second term, the US could leave NATO.
