DES MOINES, Iowa (NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are set to headline competing events in Iowa this weekend as speculation continues to mount that DeSantis could soon officially declare his candidacy.
Trump will rally supporters at the Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park in Des Moines, in his second visit to Iowa since launching his 2024 campaign, marking his third bid for the White House.
Trump’s campaign told NewsNation that the former president is going to keep Saturday’s speech focused on Iowa farmers and the end of Title 42, saying that letting it expire is “a total disaster for the country.”
DeSantis will headline Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Fennstra’s annual fundraiser in Sioux Center on Saturday and later host a reception and lead a conversation with GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann beginning at 5:30 p.m. at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center in Cedar Rapids.
The Florida governor, who hasn’t officially announced a presidential campaign, has held events in early primary states. His political campaign told NewsNation that DeSantis helped raise $4 million for Republicans on the state and local level with his fundraising visit since the beginning of March.
Iowa Republican Senate President Amy Sinclair and Iowa House Majority Leader Jack Whitver are endorsing DeSantis.
Meanwhile, Trump has the support of much of the Florida congressional delegation.
Trump has a large lead over GOP hopefuls. According to a FiveThirtyEight poll, Trump leads with 52.1% of potential Republican primary voters and DeSantis follows with 22.5%.
Other potential GOP contenders are set to be in Iowa this weekend. NewsNation exclusively spoke to Vivek Ramaswamy, whose campaign arrived in Iowa on Friday.
He said Iowa isn’t just about ticking a box for him, this is somewhere he’s putting in the time and he thinks it is paying off. He’s also proposing to raise the legal voting age from 18 to 25, which he calls one of the most ambitious proposals of his campaign.
