Ahead of the Iowa caucus on Monday, Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of former President Donald Trump, risked speaking to fewer than two rows of people after he was late for his own event.
Donald Trump Jr. has been campaigning on behalf of his father, the 2024 Republican presidential candidate nominee. In addition, Trump’s campaign has been holding a series of surrogate events featuring top supporters like his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Ben Carson, Trump’s former secretary of housing and urban development.
On Monday, Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle, a Republican and former advisor to Trump, were set to speak ahead of voting at Ankeny, Iowa, at 2 p.m. but were delayed until 4:30 p.m. According to Politico, people had been waiting since before noon for the event.
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In a post to X, formerly, Twitter, Forbes reporter Sarah Müller shared a photo of the empty rows of chairs, stating that at 2 p.m. the room was packed with people, but that the room was “pretty cleared out” 45 minutes later.
“Donald Trump Jr. is more than two hours late for his event in Ankeny, IA. This room was packed at 2 p.m. and now (45 mins from his planned speech) is pretty cleared out,” Müller wrote on X.
However, by the time Donald Trump Jr. spoke, the seats were filled.
Supporters like X user, Alex Bruesewitz wrote, “Packed house for @DonaldJTrumpJr and @kimguilfoyle in Ankeny, Iowa. Trump’s surrogates are more popular than Trump’s opponents.”
But others were quick to point out that it looked like the “packed” house was an estimate of “like 35 people” and “mostly media”.
Newsweek has reached out to Trump’s campaign and Donald Trump Jr’s representative via email for comment.
According to The Guardian’s David Smith, who reported on the ground, Donald Trump Jr. spoke on various topics including his father’s bid for president while criticizing other Republican presidential candidates such as Florida Governor Ron De Santis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
“Donald Trump Jr: ‘Nikki Haley’s never met a war she doesn’t want to be in’,” Smith wrote on X.
U.S. Political Reporter at the Daily Mail Katelyn Caralle also noted Donald Trump Jr.’s speech on X, “.@DonaldJTrumpJr slams DeSantis’ boots: ‘Who thinks it’s acceptable for men to be wearing high heels while running for the Republican nomination? No one cares if he’s short! You’re so insecure about it that you have to overcompensate? That’s the stuff that gets us into wars.'”
Donald Trump Jr.’s event comes as the Midwest state, like much of the country, has been gripped by Arctic conditions as temperatures have plunged well below zero.
However, despite the freezing temperatures, hundreds of Trump supporters stood in the snow ahead of Trump’s final pre-caucus rally in Iowa on Sunday evening.
Voters who turned up to show their support said braving the cold was worth it. “Trump is a Christian. He’s trustworthy,” said Kathy DeAngelo, a 71-year-old retired hospital administrative employee, during an interview with The Associated Press. “He believes in America. And he believes in freedom. He’s the only one.”
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.