Vowing to "swamp them" in the 2024 Iowa caucus and presidential election, former President Donald Trump responded to attempts on the right to claim to be Trump without the "attitude."
"Now, there may be some people that don't like my attitude, but my attitude is what gets us there," Trump told an Iowa Commit to Caucus Event on Saturday in Fort Dodge, Iowa, which he admitted was a smaller gathering than his usually full-blown rallies.
But the statements and campaign vows were as big as any, including speaking to those potential Iowa caucus voters saying they "want Trump policy without Trump."
"Trump policy doesn't work without Trump," Trump said in response to his critics, "because they're never going to be able to get it."
The first-in-the-nation Iowa caucus — something Trump took a bow for having fought to maintain within the primary process — is less than two months away now, and Trump said he wants the first state to go to the polls to leave no doubt for the GOP choice for the 2024 presidential nomination.
"We have to send a great signal so maybe these people say, 'it's over; let's get out of here,' because we have to focus on Joe Biden," Trump said of his GOP rivals.
"We have to really swamp them, and swamp them good."
Trump hit most of his biggest rivals, including President Joe Biden and the "radical left Democrats" who have been unwinding his Trump administration policies and "destroying our country."
"We are going to bring it back from hell, because that's where we are," Trump said.
Trump hailed Colorado being the latest state to beat back the Democrat-pushed effort to weaponize the 14th Amendment against their political opponent — in what Trump called a "ballot-rigging scheme" to block him from the ballot under the guise of Jan. 6.
"Today, the radical left Democrats and their allies in the fake news media right back there — all those people with the cameras – are having a panicked meltdown, because last night, our campaign won a gigantic court victory in Colorado," Trump said. "We had a very radical left judge."
But, Trump added, "she saw the light and did what was supposed to be done."
The effort to use "election interference" to stop Trump's 2024 campaign is all a result of Democrats being afraid of a "free-and-fair fight," he said.
"It was an outrageous attempt of disenfranchising millions and million of voters to get me thrown off the ballot," Trump added," saying Democrats are "trying every illegal move they can to try and steal this election."
Democrats and Biden voters are getting a first-hand look at election consequences, Trump warned, as two wars are raging in Ukraine and Gaza and world leaders are showing no respect for Biden.
"They're dealing with very stupid people," Trump said of those leaders, included some he praised as "smart" even if dictators. "Our leader is a stupid person.
"He's the most incompetent president we've ever had. He's the worst president we've ever had. He's a total crook.
"We have a president who's very corrupt, and he's being controlled by a number of countries."
Trump blasted the anti-Trump forces within the GOP and the American electorate for failing to see the consequences of electing Biden in 2020.
"Every sane person without what they call Trump Derangement Syndrome — how great is that? I have a disease named after me — want everything the way we had it," Trump said.
Trump made some new campaign vows Saturday in Fort Dodge, including retaking Bagram Air Base surrendered to Afghanistan — and now occupied by China — under Biden.
"We'll get it back, maybe as part of a trade deal," Trump said. "Give us back our damn airbase."
Trump also blasted Biden's designs on digging up the dead Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with China, offering his own Reciprocal Trade Act.
"Biden is back with TPP2; it's worse than the first one," Trump said. "One Day 1, TPP2 will be dead. It'll be dead before I'm walking up the stairs."
Trump added an executive order vowing energy independence might be a first priority after being sworn in — before he even gets to the Oval Office.
"I may have a little tiny desk on the 20th stair," Trump said, adding another initial one will be:
"Drill, baby, drill: That's what we're going to be signing."
Back on his GOP rivals, Trump blasted his former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron "DeSanctimonious," joking even NBC called him "Ron DeSanctus" recently.
"When you can get somebody's name changed, that's a good branding," Trump joked, noting his attitude is one where he will not back down on his critics.
"I don't care if he's Republican," he added.
Once back in the White House, Trump vowed to take over the mismanagement of Washington, D.C., a city he lamented has become hit with crime under Democrat control.
"We're going to take over the capital and we're going to make it beautiful," Trump said. "We're going to make it great."
But, taking the White House and Washington all starts with taking Iowa first to kick off the primary cycle, Trump concluded.
"You are indeed first in the nation, and we're going to keep you that way," he said.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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