Former President Donald Trump reveled in his landslide victory in the Iowa Republican caucuses on Monday night, saying it is time for the country to come together and straighten out the problems facing the nation and the world.
"I really think this is time now for everybody our country to come together," Trump said from a stage in Des Moines, Iowa. "We want to come together, whether it's Republican or Democrat or liberal or conservative. It would be so nice if we could come together and straighten out the world and straighten out the problems and straighten out all of the death and destruction that we're witnessing.
"It's just so important, and I want to make that is a very big part of our message. We're going to come together. It's going to happen soon."
With 99% of the votes totaled, Trump wins a record 51% support in a contested caucus, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (21.2%), former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (19.1%), and multimillionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (7.7%), who since suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump.
Trump broke the record for margin of victory in an Iowa Republican caucus of 12.8% set by Bob Dole in 1988. Iowa is not winner-take-all when it comes to delegates to the national convention July 15-18 in Milwaukee. As it stands, Trump will earn 16 delegates, DeSantis and Haley four each, and Ramaswamy one.
Trump also congratulated DeSantis, Haley, and Ramaswamy.
"I want to congratulate Ron and Nikki for having a good a good time together," he said. "We're all having a good time together. I think they both actually did very well. I really do. We don't even know what the outcome of second place is.
"I also want to congratulate Vivek because he did a hell of a job. He came from zero, and he's got a big percent, probably 8%, and that's an amazing job. They all did. They are very smart people, very capable people."
Trump also thanked his wife, Melania Trump, who has been away from the campaign following the death of her mother, Amalija Knavs, 78, last week.
"Most importantly, I want to thank my incredible wife, the first lady," he said. "I'll say former and maybe future. But more important than Melania. I want to thank her incredible, beautiful mother who passed away a few days ago, and she's up there, way up there. She's looking down, and she's so proud of us, and I just want to say to Amalija, you are special, one of the most special people I've ever known, and that was a tough period of time for the family. But she was amazing."