Former President Donald Trump displayed his characteristic quick wit when he countered a heckler at an Iowa campaign event on Sunday. As per the reports, during his speech in Indianola, Iowa, a woman began yelling, “Trump, Trump! You’ve taken billions,” before being drowned out by boos from the crowd. In response to the disruption, the former president, smirking, advised the woman to “go home to mommy, your mommy is waiting.” This incident occurred amidst a flurry of activities as Trump hopped from one event to another across the Hawkeye State, with less than 48 hours remaining until the Iowa caucuses.
President Trump to a heckler in Iowa:
“Go home to mommy. Your mom is waiting." pic.twitter.com/zaEAYwV8Km
— Real Mac Report (@RealMacReport) January 14, 2024
BREAKING: Climate change extremists just tried to disrupt President Trump’s rally in Indianola, Iowa, but they were DROWNED OUT by MAGA.
President Trump was unfazed by it, and cracked a joke, saying, “they are so young, and they are fighting oil.”
The room laughed loudly. pic.twitter.com/hfH8RYg7g4
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) January 14, 2024
This event is not an isolated instance of political candidates encountering hecklers in recent days. Vivek Ramaswamy, another Republican candidate, was interrupted by approximately a dozen climate protestors chanting slogans like “Vivek is a liar” and “the planet is on fire.” Despite the disruption, Ramaswamy remained unfazed, retorting, “The planet is not on fire.”
In another event in Iowa, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was presented with a “participation trophy” by a man who suggested that DeSantis would not win in Iowa. The man was subsequently escorted away from the event.
These instances underline the high stakes and intense emotions surrounding the upcoming Iowa caucuses, which officially kick off the Republican primary. Trump has been leading in the polls for several months, currently averaging roughly 53 percent support according to the RealClearPolitics polling average. This gives him a nearly 35-point lead over his closest challenger, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley.
It’s worth noting that Trump is aiming to win the Hawkeye state for the first time in the primary cycle. In 2016, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) managed to carry Iowa after heavily concentrating his campaign efforts there. However, Trump bounced back by winning New Hampshire and followed it up with a surprising victory in South Carolina, after which his campaign never lost momentum. As the political landscape heats up ahead of the Iowa caucuses, candidates are making their final pitches to win over voters.