What we covered here
- The showdown: President Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden were in Iowa today and gave competing speeches.
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Trump and Biden duel in Iowa
21 Posts
Our live coverage has ended. Scroll through the posts below to read more about President Trump and 2020 Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s separate trips to Iowa or follow CNN Politics.
Trump's speech is toned-down, but he's still criticizing Democrats
President Trump’s relatively toned-down fundraiser speech included a part criticizing Democrats.
Here’s what he told the crowd in West Des Moines:
He lamented the Mueller report, which he claimed was conducted by “18 Democrats, many of them contributed to crooked Hillary.”
He tied the Democratic party to socialism, pointing to Democratic support for Bernie Sanders’ healthcare plan and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal, which received boos.
The Green New Deal, he said, was “conceived and made up by a young woman who is well, let’s see how she works out.” Trump added that the deal “would totally destroy the American economy. Other than that it’s not bad.”
Trump is still on stage and his speech is ongoing.
After protester interrupts his speech, Biden tells crowd: "Be nice, this is not a Trump rally"
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden sought to set himself apart from President Trump tonight in Iowa as he criticized the President’s policies.
Biden blasted Trump on his stance on climate change, saying the President is “motivated by the wrong thing.”
He challenged the President’s position on health care, telling the crowd that “Donald Trump is trying to take away your protections for pre-existing conditions.”
He then went on to explain why he thinks Trump poses a “fundamental threat to America.”
As Biden spoke about Trump’s remarks after white nationalist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, a protester in the crowd yelled out, “What about unborn babies, he talks about this killing….” The crowd shouted back and drowned out the protester, who was removed from the event.
Biden tried to quell the crowd, and said, “That’s OK. Be nice, this is not a Trump rally.”
NOW: Trump takes the stage in Iowa
President Trump just took the stage in West Des Moines, where he’s speaking at a dinner and fundraiser with the state’s Republican Party.
“It is wonderful to be back in Iowa right here in the heartland of America,” Trump said. “You know it is the heartland of America and I love it and we won it by a lot and we’re going to win it again by a lot.”
You can watch his speech live here.
Where’s Biden? Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is also in eastern Iowa. You can watch that event live here.
Tickets for tonight's GOP fundraiser with Trump start at $250
President Trump’s fundraiser tonight will benefit the Iowa Republican Party, not his campaign, an aide said.
Tickets for the event started at $250 for general admission, with higher prices for a dinner with the President.
About his trip to Iowa: Trump’s visit today serves as something of counter-programming for a state crowded with Democratic presidential candidates — nearly two dozen of whom have been campaigning for the Iowa caucuses early next year.
Trump, who has complained that Democrats are being treated more fairly by the press than he was, is intent on keeping the state in the Republican column in 2020.
Trump spent a significant amount of time in Iowa during the 2016 presidential campaign. He carried Iowa’s six electoral votes, defeating Hillary Clinton 52% to 42%, a staggering turnaround after Barack Obama twice won the state.
Here's what Joe Biden will say about President Trump tonight
Democratic presidential candidiate Joe Biden is scheduled to speak in Iowa soon. President Trump is also about to give a speech in the state — at a separate event.
Earlier today, the former vice president released a copy of his prepared remarks. It’s full of mentions to Trump. Here’s a look at some of the key lines:
- On China: “He thinks his tariffs are being paid by China. Any beginning econ student at Iowa or Iowa State could tell you that the American people are paying his tariffs. The cashiers at Target see what’s going on — they know more about economics than Trump.”
- On climate change: “We’re seeing devastating floods all across America — right here in Davenport. You’ve gone through it. Farmers all across Iowa can’t plant their fields. Record flood levels, millions of dollars in damage and cleanup. And still Trump denies climate change.”
- On the border: “We see it at the border where Trump has ripped children from the arms of their parents and put them in cages. This isn’t who we are.”
- On Trump’s reelection campaign: “I’ve said many times that we can overcome four years of Trump — but if we give him eight years in the White House he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation.”
Here's what's happening at tonight's fundraiser in Iowa
President Trump will be wheels up shortly from Council Bluffs for West Des Moines for the Republican Party of Iowa’s “America First Dinner.”
The party sold over 700 tickets to this evening’s event (They were available for purchase to the general public). The President will participate in a photo line at a VIP reception before his remarks.
Trump is scheduled to speak at 7:30 p.m. ET.
In Iowa, Trump signs executive order "to promote agricultural biotechnology"
President Trump signed an executive order “to promote agricultural biotechnology” at an event in Iowa today.
Ahead of signing the order, Trump said it would “speed up reviews of biotechnology so that farmers can get access to critical scientific advances faster and reap the full benefits of American innovation for many years into the future.”
Trump also toured Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy in Iowa today.
Protester interrupts Biden at community event in Iowa
A protester interrupted former Vice President Joe Biden, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, during his community event in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.
The protester was heard yelling in the background during Biden’s remarks about President Trump and Charlottesville.
The protester yelled, “You have blood on your hands, you have blood on your hands… no he is talking about the Ku Klux Klan… he supports the murder of unborn babies and he wants us to pay for it.”
The crowd in the room started clapping, chanting and eventually drowned out the protester.
Biden continued speaking and went on to talk the US’ standing in the world.
“The fact is that we have never had a president do or say anything like that, Republican or Democrat, since the Civil War and to draw a moral equivalence between those folks was just way out of hand, way out of reach,” Biden said of Trump’s remark after white nationalist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.
At the time, Trump said that there were “people that were very fine people on both sides.”
In April, Trump said he was referring to supporters of the Confederate general Robert E. Lee when he said there were “fine people” on both sides.
Trump criticizes Biden at his renewable energy event
President Trump, while speaking at an event in Iowa about renewable energy, criticized 2020 presidential Democratic candidate Joe Biden, calling the former vice president “Sleepy Joe.”
Earlier today, Biden spoke in Iowa and labeled Trump an “existential threat” to the country. Trump said Biden is talking about him too much.
Trump mentioned that this isn’t his “political season” yet, and mentioned that will start next week. He’s set to formally announce his re-election campaign at a June 18 rally.
Iowa Rep. Steve King was not allowed on Air Force One for Trump's trip to his home state
Rep. Steve King, the Iowa Republican who was stripped of his congressional committee assignments earlier this year, was not allowed to fly aboard Air Force One today as President Trump traveled to Iowa, two GOP officials say.
King, who represents the state’s 4th District in Western Iowa, asked the White House to join the President’s entourage, but administration officials rejected the request, two officials familiar with the matter told CNN.
Republican Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Deb Fischer of Nebraska joined Trump aboard Air Force One. Ernst had not been planning to travel with the President, citing her voting schedule, but ended up flying to Iowa with Trump.
CNN has reached out to King’s office for comment.
About King: While King has a history of making incendiary remarks around race and immigration, King was removed from his committee assignments and rebuked by members of his own party after giving an interview with The New York Times in January in which he made racist comments. In the article, King, as part of a defense of what he said was the “culture of America,” asked how certain terms had become controversial in modern discourse.
Trump’s Iowa fundraiser pulls in over $1 million for state party
President Trump’s fundraiser this evening in West Des Moines has pulled in more than $1 million for the Republican Party of Iowa, according to a source familiar with the planning.
As CNN reported, the fundraiser will benefit only the state party, not his re-election effort, according to a campaign aide. The party sold tickets to the fundraising dinner starting at $250 for general admission.
A group of key Iowa stakeholders, including Gov. Kim Reynolds, Sen. Joni Ernst’s 2020 campaign manager, 2016 Trump general election state director Eric Branstad, and 2016 campaign adviser and “The Apprentice” contestant Tana Goertz, met recently with Trump campaign officials to discuss the campaign’s plans for the Hawkeye State and hiring timeline, the source said.
What to watch: Expect Trump to make regular stops in Iowa during caucus time and the general election, with rallies across the state gearing up in the near future.
Here's why Iowa is so important in presidential primary elections
Iowa is the starting line when it comes to presidential politics.It is the first state in the nation to cast their vote. This gives Iowa voters the ability to show support for their favorite candidates right away.
Why this matters: This is important because these first results can give an indication of how a candidate will preform with the rest of American voters.
As CNN Politics Executive Editor Mark Preston said during the 2016 primary race, Iowa “can either kill a campaign, or can launch a campaign.”
Election results in Iowa give candidates a chance to evaluate whether their platform is resonating with voters, and if they should continue their campaign strategies, or change it up.
Another reason Iowa gets attention from political candidates is because they hold caucuses rather than a primary, making voting a hands-on, community event.
So, what’s a caucus?
In the Iowa caucuses, unlike primaries countrywide, you can’t just get away with pulling a lever in a curtained polling booth at any time of the day that’s convenient.
Instead, Iowans must attend public meetings in school gyms, arts centers, churches, libraries, restaurants and even fire stations in more than a thousand precincts to vote for a candidate.
The Democratic caucus system is a little more intricate than the GOP process. As soon as the meetings open, attendees must declare a preference for a candidate.
Then, groups of voters who support the same candidate stake out positions around the room. People who still can’t make up their mind join a group known as “uncommitted.”
This is where it gets complicated: In order to be considered “viable,” a group must clear a certain threshold — usually around 15% of the entire caucus turnout in each precinct.
Once first-round votes are tallied, anyone stuck in a group that is not “viable” has the chance to align with a candidate who has passed the threshold.
Also, it’s going to be quite different this year…
In a bid to make the 2020 caucus process more accessible, democrats announced in February the creation of a “virtual caucus,” which will allow any Iowa Democrat to caucus virtually at specific times for six days leading up to the caucuses next February 3 instead of only in person on the traditional Monday night.
The change comes after Democrats across the country have pushed for changes to caucuses in order to make them more accessible to people who can’t get free at one specific time, like single parents, shift workers and people with disabilities.
Joe Biden: Trump is a "threat to our core values"
Former Vice President Joe Biden, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, kicked off a three-stop swing in Iowa by labeling President Trump an “existential threat” to the country.
It was just one of a series of blistering attacks the Biden campaign had previewed on Tuesday morning, and before even landing in the Hawkeye State, Trump began counter punching.
Biden tweets on Trump's paper deal with Mexico
Former Vice President Joe Biden just tweeted about President Trump’s deal with Mexico.
Earlier today, Trump flashed a folded paper, claiming it’s an additional deal with Mexico.
In response to Trump’s paper agreement, Biden tweeted, “The Iowans being crushed by his tariffs would like to see it.”
About that deal: Trump, while speaking to reporters on the south lawn of the White House before leaving to Iowa, disputed the Mexican government’s claim that there are not more additions to a US-Mexico immigration deal, which the Trump administration has hinted at since a deal was struck late last week.
Trump pulled out a single piece of folded paper and said, “That’s the agreement that everybody says they don’t have, so — no I’m going to let Mexico do the announcement at the right time. For Mexico, they want to go through with it, but here’s the agreement. It’s a very simple agreement.”
“This is one page of a very long agreement for both Mexico and the United States. Without the tariffs we would have had nothing,” he continued.
Trump later pulled the paper out again and said, “I just give you my word, inside here and I don’t have to do it, but you will freeze action it. You will stop it. You will analyze it. Every single letter you’ll see, but in here is the agreement.”
Trump and Biden are both speaking soon — at separate Iowa events
President Trump and 2020 Democratic candidate Joe Biden are scheduled to speak at separate events in Iowa around 4:15 p.m. ET today.
Trump will deliver remarks after touring Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy. You can watch his speech here.
Meanwhile, Biden will attend a community event in Davenport, Iowa. You can watch it here.
Some background: Trump and Biden have been exchanging insults and criticism all day. Earlier today, Trump repeatedly called the former vice president a “loser” and alleged he is “in trouble.” Meanwhile, Biden released a copy of the speech he’ll give tonight in which he calls out Trump by name dozens of times while labeling him “an existential threat to America.”
Trump and Biden's overlapping schedules in Iowa
President Trump is making his first stop of the campaign season in Iowa Tuesday, but he’s not the only one. Potential 2020 Democratic nominee Joe Biden is also in Iowa.
Trump and Biden are stopping in different places throughout the state, but at the same times.
Here’s a look at their schedule:
4:15 p.m.
- Trump delivers remarks on renewable energy in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He will also take a tour of Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy.
- Biden speaks at a community event in Mount Pleasant, Iowa (about 180 miles from Trump)
7:30 p.m.
- Trump delivers remarks at the Republican Party of Iowa Annual Dinner in West Des Moines
- Biden will deliver remarks at a community event in Davenport, Iowa (about 263 miles from Trump)
11:15 p.m.
- Trump arrives back at the White House
Both Biden and Trump are expected to jab at each other during events, and bring up topics that affect Iowa farmers and manufacturers such as the President’s trade wars, tariffs and healthcare.
What the polls say about Democrats right now
A new CNN/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll conducted by Selzer and Co. dropped over the weekend.
The key takeaway? Former Vice President Joe Biden is still the frontrunner, but his lead is smaller in Iowa.
Biden leads as the top choice of likely participants in the first-in-the-nation Iowa Democratic caucuses, but his advantage there is smaller than the one he has held in recent national polling, even as just five candidates out of a field of 23 crack 5% support.
The poll finds Biden leads among both those who plan to participate in the caucuses the traditional, in-person way, or via a new process for caucusing virtually.
Overall, 24% say they favor the former vice president, with 16% backing Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, 15% Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and 14% South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg. California Sen. Kamala Harris rounds out the five over 5% with 7% support.
How this compares to the national numbers: Biden has regularly been above 30% in national polling since announcing his candidacy in April, with his nearest competitor trailing by double-digits. But there hasn’t been high-quality polling in Iowa since his entry to the race.
Joe Biden plans to go after Trump directly
While in Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday, former Vice President Joe Biden will go after President Trump by name dozens of times while labeling him “an existential threat to America.”
Read more from Biden’s prepared remarks here.
Trump slams Biden ahead of competing events in Iowa
President Trump took aim at Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden ahead of their dueling events in Iowa this afternoon.
Trump repeatedly called the former vice president a “loser” and alleged he is “in trouble.”
“Joe never got more than 1% except [President] Obama took him off the trash heap and now it looks like he’s failing,” Trump said while speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House.
The President added that “it looks like his friends from the left are going to overtake him pretty soon.”
Trump then turned to personal attacks, saying that Biden is a “different guy, he looks different than he used to, he acts different than he used to, he’s even slower than he used to be, so I don’t know. But when he mentions my name that many times I guess I should be complimented.”
Trump repeated former claims that he would rather run against Biden than any other democrats in the field because he said Biden is “the weakest mentally.”
“I like running against people that are weak mentally. I think Joe is the weakest up here,” Trump said pointing to his head. “I like running against people that are weak mentally. I think Joe is the weakest up here. The other ones have much more energy.”
“But I don’t bring up,” Trump added after talking about Biden for minutes.
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