GOP strategist predicts weather will affect caucuses — up to a point
Iowa GOP strategist Dave Kochel predicted tonight that while the worsening weather in the state could affect turnout Monday, it won’t prevent Trump from winning there.
“Trump is a dominant front-runner right now. We’ll see what the polls look like over the weekend. I’m sure we’ll see a big one coming in. I don’t think he’s at risk of not winning the caucuses,” Kochel said on NBC News’ “Top Story with Tom Llamas.”
“But as you know, caucuses are always measured by how you do against your expectations. So if turnout is low, there’s much more likelihood for a surprise, and with the weather being what it is,” he said.
Haley campaign goes virtual with Iowa events over storm concerns
DES MOINES, Iowa— Haley’s campaign is turning to telephone town halls in place of planned campaign events amid forecasts of dangerous blizzards here.
“Stormy weather won’t stop us from ensuring Iowans hear Nikki’s vision for a strong and proud America,” Pat Garrett, a spokesperson for Team Haley Iowa, said in a statement. “With only three days until the caucuses, we’re going to keep telling voters why they should Pick Nikki.”
The tele-town halls are replacing in-person events in Fort Dodge, Le Mars and Council Bluffs. It’s not the first time this week weather has put a chill on the Haley campaign’s plans. A scheduled event in Sioux City was canceled because of snow and ice at the start of the week, a move that Haley’s rivals, like Ramaswamy, criticized not long before they did exactly the same thing for some of their own events.
Republican on Maryland elections board resigns after Jan. 6 arrest
A man arrested by the FBI this week in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has resigned as a Republican member of the Maryland State Board of Elections.
Federal authorities arrested Carlos Ayala on Tuesday and charged him with several misdemeanors and a felony count of civil disorder.
He is accused of joining the mob at the windows to the Capitol, shoving his broken flag through a broken window and waving it around while wearing a stars-and-stripes hoodie, a “Stop the Steal” button and a “grey 3M-style painter’s mask with large filters on each cheek,” according to an FBI affidavit. Ayala’s black flag featured the words “We the People,” an M-16-style rifle and “DEFEND,” court documents said.
Read the full story here.
Climate protesters dive on stage at DeSantis event and get tackled by security
AMES, Iowa — Protesters confronted DeSantis at an event here tonight.
One of the protesters tried to rush the small platform that DeSantis was standing on speaking to a room of about 150 people. The protester was tackled by a member of the security team and escorted out.
Two other protesters in the room were escorted out for yelling about DeSantis’ lack of climate policies. “Excuse me, excuse me, I’m doing this,” DeSantis said in response to the first protester who started yelling from the audience. He said he didn’t know they were “welcome” to do that.
Three members of the Sunrise Movement tried to rush the stage at DeSantis’ Fox News town hall in Des Moines this week. They told NBC News that they felt they needed to hold him accountable and that “we need to stop the climate crisis now.”
Donald Trump Jr. rallies supporters to brave the cold on caucus night
URBANDALE, Iowa — While hosting a campaign event on his father’s behalf, Donald Trump Jr. said supporters need to treat caucus night like they’re behind to avoid a false narrative about Trump failing.
“We gotta treat Monday as though we’re 10 points back,” Trump Jr. said at a Machine Shed restaurant. “They want that apathy, the consultant class, the media, they’re trying to create the narrative of failure, you can just see it.”
After the event, Trump told NBC News that his father’s Trump supporters need to turn out despite the potentially record cold weather on caucus night. Des Moines could face a high of minus-3 degrees Monday, according to the latest forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“I think they’re going to try to design it to get Trump voters to think that there’s such a lead that they don’t, so that they can run the story of there was an underperformance, so that’s why I think people have to turn up,” he said.
This cycle, the former president has spent relatively little time in Iowa compared to some of his competitors, like DeSantis and Ramaswamy, who have both completed the “Full Grassley” — local shorthand for visiting all of Iowa’s 99 counties.
Instead, he has mainly relied on surrogates like his two adult sons, former Housing Secretary Ben Carson and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia to hold smaller campaign events on his behalf to supplement his in-person rallies.
GOP candidates steer clear of the Biden impeachment inquiry
The 2024 GOP candidates are eager to attack an unpopular Biden over a litany of issues, from his management of the southern border to his handling of the economy to accusations of weaponizing government agencies against his political opponents. What rarely comes up in their stump speeches, though, is the impeachment inquiry centered on the Biden family’s business dealings.
Trump, who was impeached twice himself as president, typically floats over the Biden impeachment inquiry at his campaign rallies. DeSantis and Haley also tend to avoid the subject.
The move to hold back punches on Biden about the inquiry is intentional, Republican strategists say. For Trump, discussing a government investigation into the president could weaken his argument about a “two-tiered” system of justice.
For the other Republican candidates, focusing on an open inquiry — which agree should be occurring but that has so far uncovered no evidence of wrongdoing by Biden and is outside their control — does little to distinguish themselves from their rivals in a field already crowded out by Trump.
Read the full story here.
Haley said she was unaware of Christie’s hot mic remarks before wishing him well
Haley revealed today that she wasn’t aware of Christie’s hot mic comments before she released a statement yesterday commending him on his campaign after he dropped out of the race.
“I didn’t know about the open mic comments, but I do wish Chris well,” Haley said. “Politics is not personal for me,” she added.
After Christie’s announcement yesterday, Haley released a statement saying: “Chris Christie has been a friend for many years. I commend him on a hard fought campaign.”
That came after Christie was captured on audio criticizing DeSantis and Haley, saying that she was “going to get smoked” by Trump in the GOP primary and that she’s “not up for this.”
Haley also said she spoke with Christie today but didn’t ask for his endorsement. “I did talk to him this morning and just told him I appreciated his commitment to this race. But no, we don’t ask him for an endorsement.”
First lady Jill Biden sat down with NBC News’ Mika Brzezinski for a discussion about the demands and challenges of another political campaign as her 81-year-old husband seeks re-election.
Plan your vote
NBC News has launched the interactive website tool Plan Your Vote.
Plan Your Vote provides a comprehensive, state-by-state guide to voting rules in every state and major changes since the 2022 midterms, including registration deadlines and mail-in voting, early in-person voting and ID requirements.
It will also provide voters with key information leading up to the 2024 presidential election and the battle for control of the Senate and the House, as well as state and local elections across the country.
Check it out here.
House GOP campaign chair: Boebert’s move gives party a better chance to keep her seat
Speaking to reporters in Washington today, National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson declined to comment on the specifics of Rep. Lauren Boebert’s decision to run for re-election in a new district this year. But Hudson did say that he thinks “we have a better shot” at keeping the seat now that the controversial Boebert isn’t running in Colorado’s 3rd District, which she barely won in 2022.
Hudson said he didn’t know Boebert was planning to run in the more heavily Republican 4th District until after it was reported.
Hudson also spoke about the coming special election to replace former GOP Rep. George Santos in New York.
“That’s a tough seat for us,” Hudson said of the seat on Long Island. But he added that he’s “cautiously optimistic” and that he thinks Democrat Tom Suozzi is vulnerable. “I love our candidate. I think she’s fantastic,” he said of Republican Mazi Pilip.
Ramaswamy files amicus brief in support of Trump’s request to overturn Colorado ballot eligibility ruling
Ramaswamy filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court today in support of Trump, who has asked the high court to overturn the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling that he is ineligible to appear on the state’s ballot.
In the 32-page filing, attorneys for Ramaswamy argue that the provision in question does not apply to Trump as a former president. They also suggest that Trump’s opponents doubt their ability to defeat him in the 2024 election and as a result have “resorted to antidemocratic methods.”
“The conclusion is inescapable: President Trump’s political opponents have sought to disqualify him from the ballot in multiple states because they fear they cannot beat him in a free and fair election,” they wrote.
Ramaswamy highlighted the move during a campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “Frankly I don’t know if they’re going to make the best legal arguments on their own,” said Ramaswamy, seemingly throwing shade at Trump’s legal team.
He also once again criticized his Republican rivals for declining to say they would remove themselves from the Colorado primary ballot if Trump was ultimately kicked off. “This is not how any of us should want to win,” Ramaswamy said.
Hogan steps down from No Labels role
Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is stepping away from his leadership role at No Labels, which is seeking to put together a bipartisan, third-party presidential ticket in 2024, the group confirmed to NBC News.
Hogan had been a key surrogate for No Labels after leaving the governor’s mansion and declining to run for the Republican presidential nomination.
Former Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, No Labels founding chairman, said in a statement: “I think the world of Larry Hogan. He was a great governor and he’s been a great partner of mine as a fellow co-chair at No Labels. Whatever he does next, I know he will continue to be a powerful voice for common sense and national unity.”
Haley shrugs off Christie’s hot mic comments
ANKENY, Iowa — Haley brushed off Christie’s hot mic comments that “she’s going to get smoked” and “not up to this.”
Asked by NBC News at a campaign event how she plans to convince voters that Christie is wrong, Haley responded: “I don’t have to convince people he’s wrong because nobody in that crowd is asking me about that. I mean, they see politics is not personal for me. It is for the fellas, it’s not for me.”
She added: “We know that our goal is not to worry about petty things that others say. It’s more about, what do we need to do to get that next vote?”
Haley also declined to set clear expectations for caucus night Monday, only saying that she is looking for a “strong” performance.
“I think it’s important that if we show that we’re strong in Iowa, that gives us momentum going into New Hampshire,” she said.
DeSantis warns Iowans that Trump is ‘gaslighting’ them
ROCK RAPIDS, Iowa — Campaigning in the far reaches of northwest Iowa this afternoon, DeSantis told a crowd of about 75 voters that they should be skeptical of Trump’s “gaslighting.”
He pointed to comments Trump made last night in a televised Fox News town hall claiming that DeSantis was a “fan” of Dr. Anthony Fauci, which the governor quickly rejected here on stage. DeSantis has made his response to Covid in Florida a core tenant of his presidential bid.
“I think you as a voter should look at that and say if someone is gaslighting you like that, and just lying about this stuff, you know, you’ve got to hold that against them,” DeSantis cautioned.
Biden pushes back on Trump’s economic crash comments: ‘He’s already Hoover’
President Joe Biden posted a video on X reacting to Trump’s comments earlier this week hoping that an economic crash would occur in the next 12 months. “I don’t want to be Herbert Hoover,” Trump said, referring to the president in office at the outset of the Great Depression.
In response, Biden said Trump is “already Herbert Hoover” because “he is the only other president who has lost jobs during his term.”
Suffolk poll shows Trump with a wide lead in Iowa
A new Suffolk University poll shows a majority (54%) of likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers plan to back Trump on Monday.
That puts him well ahead of the rest of the GOP field: Haley is in second with 20%, followed by DeSantis with 13% and Ramaswamy with 6%. The survey, taken before Christie dropped out of the race, put the former New Jersey governor at 2%.
The results are consistent with other Iowa polls finding Trump with a wide lead heading into the lead-off Republican presidential nominating contest. Haley’s 20% is her best showing in an Iowa poll of the entire race, but other surveys have not yet shown the same movement in her direction.
The Suffolk poll of 500 likely GOP caucusgoers was conducted Jan. 6-10 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
No Labels engages Christie allies on a potential third-party run
No Labels, the political organization seeking to put together a bipartisan, third-party presidential ticket in 2024, has actively engaged with Christie allies about his potential interest in joining the group’s ticket.
These conversations all happened before Christie dropped out yesterday, and some of them occurred in recent weeks, according to a source.
Several Christie allies and donors who spoke with NBC News said that they are skeptical he would be interested in any offer to run as a third-party candidate.
Read the full story here.
New Trump ad blasts Haley on Social Security
A new Trump campaign ad released today attacks Nikki Haley over her position on Social Security.
“Americans were promised a secure retirement. Nikki Haley’s plan ends that,” the narrator says, adding, “Haley’s plan cuts Social Security benefits for 82% of Americans. Trump will never let that happen.”
In an interview last year with NBC News’ Craig Melvin, Haley said, “Should we reform those entitlements [like Medicare and Social Security]? Yes. But should we take anything from people who’ve already been promised? No.”
She added, “The younger generation, we go and we do a new system on how they’re gonna get it. But you don’t take away from the ones who’ve already been promised.”
At a CNN Debate in Iowa last night, Haley doubled down on changing the retirement age for younger people, saying, “We’re going to look at those in their 20s. We have to go and start looking at what we can do to get out of this. We want to make sure that everybody who was promised gets it. But we also want to make sure our kids have something when they get it too.”
Haley communications director Nachama Soloveichik responded to the ad in a statement: “All of Donald Trump’s attack ads prove that he is terrified of Nikki Haley’s rise. This is a two-person race between Nikki’s conservative vision for a strong and proud America and Trump’s continued obsession with the chaos and drama of the past.”
Haley continues debate attacks on DeSantis on the stump
Haley continued her attacks on DeSantis this morning — this time, focusing them on energy while addressing the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit in Altoona, Iowa.
“Did he tell you that he co-sponsored five different bills to ban the renewable fuel standard?” Haley asked the crowd, who heard from DeSantis before she spoke. “Did he tell you he called out Trump and told him to stop offshore drilling in federal waters? Did he tell you that he banned fracking? Did he tell you that he banned offshore drilling? Because he did.”
DeSantis did not mention Haley during his remarks to the group.
New pro-Haley ad hits Trump over his ‘temper tantrums’
SFA Fund Inc., a super PAC backing Haley, is out with a new ad today blasting Trump.
“Trump can’t stop lying about Nikki Haley,” the ad’s narrator says. “One temper tantrum after another, his entire campaign based on revenge.”
The ad is running in New Hampshire, where Haley has been gaining ground on Trump in recent polls.
The narrator continues: “Trump is lying about Haley because he knows she’s the only one who can beat him.”
It’s not clear how much money SFA Fund Inc. is spending on this particular ad, but the group has $2.8 million worth of airtime booked in New Hampshire through Jan. 23, per AdImpact. That’s more than any other group or campaign have booked in the Granite State over the next two weeks.
DeSantis says Trump is ‘clearly’ not the same candidate as in 2016
DeSantis said in an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that the former president is not the same candidate as he was in 2016.
“I mean, clearly Donald Trump is not the same Trump from 2016. When he gets off the teleprompter, there’s a lot of mistakes, a lot of stream of consciousness,” DeSantis said.
The Florida governor suggested that he is a much more “battle-tested candidate.”
DeSantis braces for freezing caucus day temperatures
At the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Summit this morning, DeSantis spoke about never experiencing minus 15 degrees weather that’s forecast for Monday. He joked there’s a special operation to get his winter coat back that was left in Tallahassee ahead of the caucuses.
“I hope people turn out in big numbers. I know it’s not easy. You know, I’m asking for your support on caucus night. We have an opportunity to take this country in a very positive direction,” DeSantis said.
What Christie didn’t say
Christie had plenty to say yesterday.
He announced he was suspending his presidential campaign. “It’s clear to me tonight that there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination.”
He kept up his direct attacks on Trump. “I’m going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be president of the United States again. And that’s more important than my own personal ambition.”
And on a hot mic right before his announcement, Christie suggested Haley couldn’t defeat Trump (“She’s going to get smoked — you and I both know it. She’s not up to this”), and he revealed he had spoken earlier with DeSantis (“DeSantis called me — petrified”).
Yet, here’s the one important thing Christie left out: Who should Republicans vote for — if not Christie, not Trump, not Haley (because she’s going to get smoked) and not a “petrified” DeSantis?
After all, you can’t beat somebody with nobody.
That same logic extends to the general election, as Christie has said he wouldn’t support either Trump or President Joe Biden in a possible rematch of the 2020 election. But he has spoken warmly about Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., if he runs as an independent.
“Let me tell you, Joe Manchin would be a really good president. And, you know, I liked him a lot. And first of all, I don’t agree with him on everything. And he wouldn’t be my first choice. But if it were between those three to vote for it would be a lot easier,” Christie said last week, per NBC’s Emma Barnett.
Yet what happens if Manchin doesn’t run?
Or if you believe the numbers pointing to how a third party only helps Trump?
Four days to go before the Iowa caucuses
Trump is once again off the campaign trail, as he attends closing arguments in his New York civil fraud trial. But his Republican rivals have a packed day ahead of them in Iowa four days out from the caucuses.
Haley, DeSantis and Hutchinson are all scheduled to speak at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Summit in Altoona today. DeSantis then has another four events on his Iowa schedule, while Haley has two and Hutchinson one.
Ramaswamy has the busiest schedule of all: His campaign is set to hold 11 events in the Hawkeye State. Conservative commentator Candace Owens will join Ramaswamy for several events.
Closing arguments set to begin in civil fraud case with Trump in court
Closing arguments are set to begin this morning in the civil fraud case against Trump and his company, which could cost him up to $370 million and bar him from the New York real estate industry in which he made his name.
Trump is expected to be in attendance in state Judge Arthur Engoron’s courtroom for the arguments, but Engoron said yesterday that the former president could not deliver some of those remarks himself after he refused to agree to refrain from personal attacks during his presentation.
Read the full story here.
Catch up on last night’s debate
DeSantis and Haley spent last evening eagerly trying to clamber past each other and gain traction as the main Trump alternative as they run neck and neck in Iowa and nationally for a distant second place.
The CNN debate in Iowa began just a few hours after Christie dropped out of the race, conceding he had no path to victory. And Ramaswamy failed to make the cut for the debate. That left DeSantis and Haley on the stage as the alternatives to Trump, who has boycotted each of the GOP debates in an attempt to starve his rivals of oxygen and create an aura of inevitability.
While Trump remains far ahead of both rivals in Iowa, Haley has shown some signs of strength in New Hampshire.
Here are four key takeaways from the Iowa debate.
